SkyFish-3 Reviews

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

Boring

[1/10 · 14 October 2023]

The first rule of filmmaking -- and good storytelling in general -- is:

Show, don't tell.

Showing is what draws the viewer in and allows him to become involved with the characters.

In TWSHS, Wes Anderson makes the bold choice to throw the "Show, don't tell" rule out the window. The entire thing is narrated with thick, heavy, dull dialogue, and this utterly spoils the experience.

This, in general, is why I don't watch Wes Anderson films. The man is so egotistical that his heavy-handed style gets in the way of everything and generally makes the story unwatchable.

Wes Anderson managed to take one of my favorite childhood stories, a fantastic, plausible, yet magical tale, and transform it into something utterly dull and irritating.

This man should be interior decorating for New England BNB's, not making movies.

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

Jonah should have married Annie

[7/10 · 23 June 2023]

The thing about this film is that Tom Hanks's character Sam does not do a damn thing to get the girl.

His son Jonah is the real protagonist of the story:

1. Jonah calls the radio talk show and Sam begrudgingly picks up the phone.

2. Jonah finds the letter from Annie and reads it to his dad.

3. Finally, Jonah buys a ticket to New York and goes there by himself to meet Annie. Sam begrudgingly follows.

So even though Sam has a sympathetic backstory, it's hard to root for Sam and Annie when Sam takes no meaningful action throughout the film.

At the end, when Annie is holding Jonah's teddy bear, I was hoping that Annie would realize she loves Jonah, not Sam. Jonah and Annie could have gone down on the elevator together, leaving Sam at the top of the Empire State building, realizing what a feckless loser he is.

The kid is a superhero! They could have been a happy couple :D

While Sam disappoints with respect to being an active, deserving male lead, overall this is a likeable romantic comedy with a Frank Capra feel. I recommend it, just wish Sam had taken more initiative.

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Waste of Time

[5/10 · 26 January 2023]

Avatar 2 is a huge disappointment. It is a poor rehashing of the original film with nothing new to say. The movie is far too long, clocking in at a staggering 3 hours. I found myself constantly checking my watch, waiting for it to end. The pacing of the film is slow and the story feels dragged out. The special effects were impressive, but they couldn't save the film from its lack of substance.

The movie tries to replicate the success of the first one but fails in adding anything new to the story. It is a rehash of the first movie with the same characters and themes. There are no new ideas. The only thing that changes is the location, but it doesn't add much to the story.

Overall, this is an overrated film. Skip it.

Warrior Nun (2020–2022)

Here's why the show got canceled

[7/10 · 14 January 2023]

Warrior Nun is a fun show with a devout fanbase, and many were shocked and appalled when Netflix axed the show after season 2.

How could this happen?

Simple: the show started to take itself too seriously.

The first season was Warrior Nun at its best.

It was this bizarre, fantasy premise about a hot teenage nun who gets magical powers.

That is pure fun.

Enter season 2, and the writers just let it all go to hell (almost literally):

*the sense of fun and kitsch was lost *things became extremely violent. Killing the pope?? Jeez!!!!

*the lesbian romance felt totally out of place AFTER Alba Baptisa already had a boyfriend in season 1.

So we have: Season 1 - a fun, kitschy, cool comic-book style superhero story about a girl who unwittingly becomes a warrior nun.

Season 2 - an extremely dark horror drama about a group of nuns taking on the devil to prevent the end of the world as we know it.

The 2 seasons could not have been more different in tone.

Also: the characterization in the first season was 1000x better than season two, where there was no sense of backstory.

As a side note, Reya was just tacky -- what a terrible, weak character!

So if I'm Netflix, and I'm looking at the direction of this series after season 2, I would also have to say "no thanx".

Season 1 was Warrior Fun Season 2 was Warrior None.

Sad to see this one go because it's such a cool premise and Alba Batista is amazing.

But yeah, season 2 ruined it.

The Circle (I) (2017)

Doesn't know what it's trying to say...

[3/10 · 6 October 2022]

The Circle attempts to say something important about technology and privacy.

The tragic thing is that it's confused about its own theme and doesn't really know what it wants to say.

Throughout the film, we see the disturbing effects of modern technology and social media encroaching on personal privacy embodied by the cult of the social media company, The Circle.

We expect the lead character Mae will come to realize how cult-like and socially harmful The Circle is but she never does. Instead of denouncing The Circle, Mae fully embraces it. In the end, she leads society into the terrifying dystopia that the film warns against.

Having a protagonist whose actions contradict the central message of a film is a recipe for disaster. It sends mixed messages and ultimately confuses and alienates the audience.

The casting and look of the film are good, but the poor writing and lack of a strong, consistent theme keep The Circle from success.

Quantum Leap (2022–2024)

Quantum Crap

[2/10 · 21 September 2022]

NBC manages to take one of the best premises in TV history and ruin it. I knew they ruined it as soon as I saw the trailer. Then I saw the first episode and realized just how badly they mucked it up.

The story and characters are flat. Everything feels rushed and superficial.

I didn't care about anyone or anything in this show. There was no wonder. No suspense. No sympathy for the main character.

Very much hoping that Netflix or another capable studio gets the rights to QL and sets it on the right course.

What a terrible, terrible spoilage of a classic show.

Sam and Al deserve so much better.

You should know better, NBC!

No Time to Die (2021)

Dead End

[1/10 · 24 June 2022]

With brazen arrogance, impudence, and sheer folly, this Bond film did the unthinkable and killed off its main character.

This is the one rule you do not break.

Bond always wins.

People pay to see Bond films because they like to participate in the experience of an alpha male at the top of his game, winning.

This "winning" formula is what makes Bond Bond, and it is why Bond works.

A film where Bond loses and dies is not, by definition, a Bond film.

To paraphrase Trump, I like heroes that don't get killed.

A Perfect Enemy (2020)

Falls apart in the End

[6/10 · 2 March 2022]

Great characters and set up but it falls apart in the end by defaulting to a cliched plot device.

I was entertained throughout and was really hoping for a more intriguing and original finale.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

Stupid in a bad way

[1/10 · 12 December 2021]

One of the dumbest films I've ever seen.

If you find grown men acting like 6-year-old apes funny, you'll think this is hilarious.

Otherwise, steer clear.

Knowing (2009)

Too dark and depressing

[3/10 · 8 August 2021]

The story unfolds nicely but the ending completely ruins this.

It's too dark and depressing, like a nightmare.

And the protagonist ends up being completely ineffectual. He accomplishes absolutely nothing. BAD!!!

Citizen Koch (2013)

Fast-paced doc that reveals the criminality of the 1%

[10/10 · 4 June 2015]

Citizen Koch is one of the most entertaining documentaries I've seen. Sadly for America, it happens to be about the real and tragic theft of power from the 99% into the hands of an unscrupulous, greedy bunch of millionaires.

It begins with an account of how the Supreme Court allowed moneyed interests to have unlimited power through the Citizens United decision and then moves on to show how the Kochs and their cronies take advantage of this by pouring hundreds of millions into political campaigns across the country. They do this to install puppet leaders who re-write the law in their favor.

In particular, we see how the entire state of Wisconsin was completely overrun by Koch cash, like a bad termite infestation that's coming soon to a state near you.

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

Star Trek: Into the Sewer

[1/10 · 3 September 2014]

Chase, explosion, chase, explosion, wink, nod, chase, explosion. The characters are two-dimensional cut-outs. The writing is daft. For hardcore Trek fans, the film tramples on series canon. Suddenly Kirk doesn't discover Khan in deep space on his ship, the Botany Bay. Suddenly Christopher Pike was never horrifically disfigured in a freak training accident, and he never returns to Talos. If you are doing a film in a hallowed series, you have a responsibility to research that series, honor what has come before, and extend its tradition of excellence. This film utterly fails to do any of that.

J.J. Abrams is not a director, he's an event planner--for five year old birthday parties. I shudder to think what he will do to Star Wars and only hope Kathleen Kennedy wrangles him in a more sophisticated direction.

Ink (I) (2009)

Sticks with you

[6/10 · 30 January 2010]

I saw the film more than a week ago on Hulu.com. Originally, I wasn't overly impressed: the film has some serious pacing problems, and there are times when the whole threat of the evil dream people seems not ominous and threatening but just plain silly.

However: there is a lot of wisdom and heart in this film, and its message sticks with you. Most films lack real values, and Ink has them in abundance. This is why I believe, despite its imperfections, Ink will stand up over time.

Jamin Winans (writer, director, editor, original soundtrack) is hugely talented and I look forward to seeing his career develop.