storydjdjlajdfjd Reviews

Deus (2022)

Characters Don't Make a Strong Impact

[5/10 · 25 January 2024]

Claudia Black's performance is very good. Interesting quips and snide remarks. A confident performance. The film is dimly lit, mostly green tinted with very little white or yellow lighting, like 'Aliens'. The story is intriguing and relelvant to today's news. It would make a great plot for a novel. The film feels a bit unoriginal, or simply doesn't have the charisma to get the audience feeling anything strong enough to get at the edge of the seat or find the plot interesting. The soundtrack doesn't do much for this film either. It's boring. The film is kinda boring yet it has a great story concept behind it.

The Darkest Hour (2011)

Didn't Like Sean, Main Character

[5/10 · 30 October 2021]

Sean is short with peach fuzz moustache and I just couldn't click with him. Otherwise a typical first contact sci-fi thriller. Moscow was fun, Moscovites were fun. But Sean. No. Vika is a yes. Dialogue a bit corny and unsatisfying.

Midnight Mass (2021)

Watch with snacks and good company

[5/10 · 22 October 2021]

Interesting premise to the show and good setup. Cinematography is excellent and acting is excellent. Dialogue is too long because characters talk about what they think rather than what they've experienced. It happens alot. First five episodes are slow. The ending had plot holes. All female characters are strong and some men are weak and insecure. So, politically correct. Left wondering if Muslims would make same mistake as Christians. Humph. Is worth watching but bring snacks and good company.

San Andreas (2015)

How shall I put this?

[5/10 · 2 October 2021]

Felt like a long toothpaste commercial but I liked it.

The Starling (2021)

A Good Film But the Start is a Bit Slow

[8/10 · 2 October 2021]

It's a good film for people who want a human-interest piece. But I admit that the first act dragged a bit and I would have removed the scene with daughter to fix that. That way, the audience wouldn't understand why she was acting out of sorts and her husband was in a hospital. That would have piqued our interest more as we tried to figure it what was going on. Other than that, I think it ran very well. A side note: Melissa McCarthy can stand on her own two feet as a dramatic actor, so there's not need for humorous SNL-like gaffes.

Jumanji (1995)

Spielberg Film with Surprises

[5/10 · 24 September 2021]

The film has the same romantic feel of a Spielberg Film and then this happens and then this happens and then this happens and then I reconsidered years of tolerating bad American blockbuster cinema. Director could have written the script but probably just didn't feel like it.

Dark River (2017)

Heavy on Cinematography Low on Plot

[7/10 · 2 August 2021]

Low-key film between sister and brother resolving differences after inheriting farm. Action around farm work. Cinematography is excellent, dialogue is light, emotional realism around abuse and trauma. A quiet film. Excellent story arc. Ordinary people.

Oblivion (I) (2013)

One Man's Search for Truth

[8/10 · 1 August 2021]

Follows one main line of action so it could seem a bit slow. But Sleek and expensive set with excellent graphics interesting to look at. Moral of story makes you think about the assumptions about identity and what the world is really like. Actors are very good, especially Tom Cruise. Enough action and suspense. I thought ending was morally challenging.

Alex of Venice (2014)

Single Mother With Family Help

[7/10 · 31 July 2021]

A young professional woman, whose lived a somewhat sheltered life, is forced to cope with her challenging family situation after her husband walks out. Simple movie without major upheavals but charming characters that are memorable and heart-warming. Easy film to watch.

July Rising (2019)

Centers Around One Character

[5/10 · 30 July 2021]

Story about teenage girl going against odds to save family farm while everyone else tells her to sell. Good film production but lacklustre cinematography. Soundtrack is non-existent except for transitions. However, a complete story arc is there. Act two is a little slow at the start. The ending is good but too quiet.

All We Had (2016)

Small Town Movie

[8/10 · 29 July 2021]

Has multiple characters with their own depth of experience. A long introduction. Somewhat predictable, but people are too. Takes place in a small town with some interesting characters. I liked it.

Lost Bayou (2019)

Drama with Two Main Characters and One Setting

[7/10 · 29 July 2021]

Slow-paced drama between father and daughter. Takes place on run-down houseboat on Louisiana Swamp. Not picturesque. Only two main characters. Excellent narrative structure, good resolutions. I liked how it all wrapped up at the end.

Venom (2018)

Tom Hardy Did a Good Job

[6/10 · 4 May 2021]

Venom is an okay film. Tom Hardy playing Eddie Brock is entertaining and the special effects are more than excellent. Good pacing, no slow moments. The script is iffy in some areas. Not a great film because of this.

The Last Circus (2010)

Clownish Fun with Some Sensitive Themes

[7/10 · 29 April 2021]

I liked this movie. It seemed over the top, but I was able to see a recurring themes that make it more than just a wild, clown film. The entire story centers around the abuse of a woman and the male clowns that look to her for love and pity. Spain's bloody history is frequently cited throughout as if history and male violence beget one another. But this could be interpretative, on my part. Because to me, it looks as if the auteur is speaking out against women's abuse and using outlandish, chaotic and violent clownish antics to illustrate Spain's problem with violent men. It's a beautiful film that takes enough twists and turns to either disappoint or enthrall, depending on your attitude. But following the emotional chord rather than just the plot makes this film a little more interesting. It is, however, somewhat predictable at the end but not in a bad way. Socially speaking, it's an ending that's all too common.

Wander (I) (2020)

A Whodunit in the Middle of the Desert

[7/10 · 29 April 2021]

Not a bad movie. There's pretty much only one line of action which means that it's interest surrounds one person and one event. But the mysterious deaths are intriguing, the down-and-out investigator with baggage is deep enough and Tommy Lee Jones is just a supporting character but adds to the southern charm just nicely. The story is technically a conspiracy theory muddled by the investigator's credibility undermined by his emotional upheavals. It's somewhat predictable, but not hard to watch. A desert countryside with junkyard dogs and pretty sunsets with pretty women and handsome men frolicking about with FBI badges. I'd watch it again after a few months.

The Vast of Night (2019)

What a Great Historical Piece

[9/10 · 20 April 2021]

A memorable story about that night when we were kids in small town USA,1950s, at the radio station, and then that came out of the sky.

Final Voyage (2019)

Not A Good Arthouse Film. Lacks Narrative Coherence. Not Intriguing.

[4/10 · 28 March 2021]

I've seen alot of arthouse films. This one isn't good. It's very slow with a raw, natural dialogue that doesn't add anything valuable to the film. The pacing is slow. The shots are static. These elements aren't necessarily bad unless you're missing a strong dramatic need. In this case, you are. Hence, a lack of narrative coherence. The two men in the derelict ship need more than to just want to get off a difficult world. The philosophical premise doesn't support the dull plot either. Two lost souls ignorant of their humanity doesn't strike a high enough chord. I don't care of his name is Adam. Nothing in the film works except for the set which is exemplary. But if that made a good movie, I'd watch Iron Man 2 again. In the dark.