inofaith Reviews

Ahsoka: Part Six: Far, Far Away (2023) Season 1, Episode 6

The best parts are non-Ahsoka parts

[8/10 · 20 September 2023]

I have to say the best parts revolve around Baylan, Shin and Morgan going out to find Thrawn. Very exciting to see things unfold and discover their motives.

This reminds me of that one Book of Boba-Fett episode that was great: which was an all-Mandalorian episode actually.

And sadly the mediocre acting or lack of interesting directing is still a thing; but limited to the parts of Ahsoka and Sabine (Who didn't get much screen time this episode). Honestly the way they wrote and directed Sabine's part is showing to be lacking, it could be so much more deep and emotional. The action parts are good, but they chose to make her interactions with others as exciting as a wet newspaper.

Ahsoka (2023– )

Production top notch, acting mediocre, directing lacking.

[8/10 · 13 September 2023]

I really wanna love this show to an 8 or 9 like Andor pulled me in, but the mediocre acting really takes me out of the story quite a lot of times per episode. It has its moments, but a lot of times the evocativeness falls flat.

I love the cinematography, the story is intriguing and really a back/side story that is important to the lore that ties a lot of things together, the sound design and world building is great... and it all falls apart because whoever is directing this, is accepting these performances as good somehow.

These are such high-value productions and everything is great overall, it's quite embarrassing to see that the acting falls flat. And I don't even blame most of the cast/talent, because most of the actors on the show are capable of the range, as shown in different movies.

Andor was so so so much more better, The Mandalorian was great. (We will forget about TBOBF). And Obi Wan is also a good example of a great actor with bad direction and not great writing in a drawn-out show with bad editing. Ewan has so many great emotional and engaging films under his belt, yet Obi Wan pretty much flopped.

I wish Disney would give the Star Wars IP back to George, or maybe meddle with things less overall and pick better visionaries that have higher standards for what a good take is.

12 Kilometers (2016)

Awesome proof of concept, great cinematography.

[8/10 · 18 July 2023]

The cinematography was on point here. Really good lighting, blocking, color grading. The sound design is cool too, since this plays such a crucial role for this film. I like that the lines between sound fx, ambient, and music are being blurred.

Production wise, you can sometimes see this was done on a relatively low budget as a short concept film, but it looks awesome. I like that they choose to go with practical and optical effects. As anything too much CGI would probably not have gelled well with the rest of the organic feel of the film.

There's a touch of art-house, and it feels ambitious.

If this were to be turned into a feature film, thing like production, location and some effects could be greatly enhanced, and the story could be furthered, as we're just teased as what is there to come in this instalment.

Kudos to Mike and the team he worked with. It's great to hear about a project for a film on a podcast, and then to finally watch it is amazing!

Wednesday (2022– )

Fun watch, minus the obvious PC political agenda.

[6/10 · 6 December 2022]

This is a fun watch, it's definitely a cool addition to what we know from the movies. The casting of Wednesday is a very good fit. The parents, especially the father not so much. But they're not main characters so that's forgivable.

It's also shot very nicely, quality production here.

The thing that really stands out is that some writers/producers really did their best to load a lot of moments with a PC political agenda. It's really distracting from the storyline and kind of undermines the character arcs.

You really can feel the board-room meeting kindo of influence in this script. But hey it's what we can expect from Netflix nowadays.

It would be nice if they didn't, to make this truly a timeless series, but too bad.

If it didn't have this I would give this an 8, but I can only give it 5 or 6 because it's distracting from the show.

The Forgotten Battle (2020)

Way more than just any WWII film, tension competes with "1917"... Outstanding Dutch-made film.

[8/10 · 29 March 2022]

This is probably the best serious film I've seen that's made by a Dutch director and crew.

Don't sleep on this one.

This film is outstanding for a couple of reasons:

• The tension is strong: the moral dilemmas these characters face are very personal and relatable and you'll be at the edge of your seat think about what you would have done in a situation like that and wondering what they'll decide and do. And there's multiple views on the matter. Something which a a film like "1917" doesn't have, but it has its own tension mechanism.

• It gives you multiple vignettes that come together in a bigger plot: These start out as following the individual journeys of 3 different characters. But in the end they will all have crossed paths in some way and have influenced the coarse of events knowingly or unknowingly.

• The cinematography is great: This was shot on an Arri Alexa LF Mini with Vintage Leica R lenses. To get that old feeling. This allowed the DOP to get up close and personal putting you right with the characters as if you where with them. Handheld was used when appropriate.

And okay "1917" has the master Roger Deakins, but this film stands on its own and I have much respect for this work, as a lot of Dutch films usually don't have the budgets to make the production Hollywood level quality.

And they made sure to film under the right light conditions: Grey bleak Dutch overcast skies pair with the sombre state of being oppressed by Germans. And covert movements of the allies in marshlands during Dusk and Dawn make for beautiful golden-hour-like backdrops.

• The CGI used is high-end and perpetuates the story and scale of events without calling attention to itself.

• The score carries the emotional weight of the events and will get your tears rolling when it matters.

Much kudos to director Matthijs, I really enjoyed listening to a podcast with him and a podcast with the lead actress who played Teun. After those interviews I watched the film and I'm amazed going in knowing some insights and how "normal" these fellow Dutch people are, but how amazing their work is that completely swept me away.

Small detail but significant as not all war films do this: the British and Canadians speak English, the Dutch speak Dutch, and the Germans speak German. That's how a war film should be.

Till Death (I) (2021)

Combination of other movie concepts

[5/10 · 25 March 2022]

Not very original, combine SAW with Fargo, and a pinch of Home Alone and add mediocre acting. It was okay to watch. A few plot twists that were not surprising.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

Good entertaining, great if you're from USA

[6/10 · 19 February 2022]

I have to say, this is a good movie, but I realise that this is less significant not nostalgic to people outside the USA who didn't live that zeitgeist up close.

So if you reduce the sentimental load this should have on an audience, I'd give this a 6 for portraying (and dramatising) an historical event and the filmmaking added somewhat value to it, but not much to make me go wow. I've seen more impressive court-based movies.

The Book of Boba Fett: Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger (2022) Season 1, Episode 6

Rename it to Star Wars Tales maybe?

[9/10 · 3 February 2022]

This is so awesome. I think we can just forget about Boba Fett in the title and see this as various stories/angles surrounding the happenings we didn't get to see in the feature length movies.

The production value is astonishing, having so much of young Luke screen time without it being uncanny. Lots of other visuals and sound design and score and cinematography are just top notch.

Any future Star Wars movie has to top what John F. Produces here as a series.

I still have feedback on some of the voice lines that are written: please please show and don't tell so much, and don't state the obvious. The audience is not dumb dear writers. Just do like in the first 3 episodes of The Mandolorian.

Other than that, it was very enjoyable to get more storylines interwoven. Not just 1 the whole time. I mean, George Lucas and his editors were great at implementing the whole "meanwhile back at the farm" concept of alternating 3 or more storylines throughout a movie. So keep that happening pls.

Don't Look Up (2021)

It's like Idiocracy + Armageddon + Black Mirror

[7/10 · 30 January 2022]

This movie seems like a medium comedy at first, but turns out to be a good social commentary.

• For how trending things on social media tend to sway peoples perception on what's real and what to believe.

• Greed and corruption will destroy environments and lives.

So, don't be shallow, don't follow popular rhetoric, think for yourself, use critical thinking and logic. Good job Leonardo!

Between Two Ferns: The Movie (2019)

Fun, but the bloopers are funnier

[6/10 · 29 January 2022]

Honestly I liked the movie, but laughed the hardest after it was done and the bloopers play at the credits.

American humor tends to try hard to be awkward too seriously. And it's not as funny as other styles.

The story was actually quite heart warming :) So it falls less into the comedy realm in that regard and more family movie.

R.I.P.D. (2013)

M.I.B. meets Ghostbusters, not original but fun

[6/10 · 19 January 2022]

The setting and story weren't very original (but maybe it doesn't need to be if it's just a setting). It's heavily influenced by Men in Black and Ghostbusters. And any cop duo that are new partners for that matter.

But, seeing through that; It was still a fun and entertaining movie. And the motivation of the protagonist actually makes sense and you can relate.

It's an action comedy by the books, and still worth the watch on a weekday for some laughs.

Don't expect anything special.

Invasion (2021–2024)

Can't see a thing, graded waaay too dark.

[3/10 · 11 January 2022]

It's suspenseful, but whoever colorgraded and mastered this didn't take into account any feasible standards for expensive OLED TVs.

I shoot edit and grade videos as a freelancer and I haven't ever seen these luminance values so low.

Even if I max out the gamma and turn up every brightness enhancing feature on my Sony Bravia A8H OLED this show is unwatchable, sorry.

I'm sure it's good but I can't see anything in the night scenes. Trash.

Mulan (2020)

Even Disney can put too much Disney in a movie

[5/10 · 31 December 2021]

This is entertaining, very (too) colourful, the action wasn't that impressive but more leaning to Marvel super hero themes with the "chi" in this world.

My biggest gripe with this is that the director/screenwriters did a lot of telling instead of showing.

Which is insulting to the audience, even kids can understand good screenwriting and visual storytelling. There is no need to tell the obvious. So yeah that's a big letdown.

The loyalty values and family bond message did come through at least.

But it still lacked some substance and leaned more towards looking vibrant and pretty. Feels too synthetic instead of authentic.

Mr. Corman (2021)

Mix 'The Science of Sleep' and 'The Butterly Effect' with a dash of 'Scott Pilgrim' and reality on mental health

[7/10 · 2 October 2021]

This one goes deep, into existential doubts, anxiety and the torment of wondering what could have been in life. With a flair of Michel Gondry-like creativity and hard hitting reality checks of what a panic attack can feel like.

Brace yourself and keep an open mind.

It's not a comedy or sitcom, but a view on life and growing up.

Sex Education (2019–2023)

Season 3 has me crying constantly

[9/10 · 22 September 2021]

Wow, such an emotional rollercoaster. Well written! I'm crying my eyes out pretty much the whole time of happiness, relief, sadness, empathy for injustice and more. And it looks and sounds great in Dolby Vision by the way. Also seems like they got even beter with their cinematography, kudos to the DOPs and some of the editing is really strong too. Didn't expect a 3rd season of a series to mature and get even better the previous ones.

Kate (I) (2021)

Entertaining action movie by the books

[6/10 · 13 September 2021]

It's action, in Japan. Fun to watch, some fight scenes were done well actually. The intro scene VFX were horrible. But yeah it doesn't stand out story-wise, and it's not bad either, I'd rate it 6,5 if I could. The urban scenes in Japanese typical neon lit wet streets and narrow corridors look really nice. (But it's not hard to make that look good as many street photographers have shown.)

The Mist (2007)

Love the film and book, hate the screenwriting

[7/10 · 31 August 2021]

Ok, I love the film, the atmosphere and everything that's at stake in the story.

But come on, the screenwriter and director should have just stuck to the original ending by Stephen King, they ruined it and had to push it through.

Does something like this get reactions? Yes. Does that make it a good ending... not imo.

Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)

Empty Shell

[4/10 · 29 August 2021]

There was nothing wrong with the visual effects or action, the story/script was just really really bad and the acting very thin and mediocre.

Aquaman (2018)

I liked it, except the cringe humor & music, overuse of orbital camera moves.

[4/10 · 18 August 2021]

Ok so it's clear that this is not a Snyder movie. I do have to say the story makes sense, it's visually stunning, audio is good. But did they have to try and imitate marvel badly?

I enjoyed it, but 3 things took me completely out of the movie at times:

1. The excessive use of orbital camera movement in any type of scene: calm down man, just show us the action or dialog scenes and don't make us motion sick.

2. Cringe humor in the 2nd and 3rd act. Some subtle jokes were okay, but the blatant ones, trying to be a funny action hero blockbuster flick just didn't work and detracted from the experience. Just don't and stick to the epic story.

3. Cringe music choices. Like a remix of Toto's "Africa" when entering the desert. It's so disruptive to the rest of the experience and uncalled for.

So I wanted to give this a 7 or even consider an 8. But it's getting a 6 for all those cringy moments.

Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018)

Visually stunning, but its the original novel story remake instead of the Disney remake

[7/10 · 14 August 2021]

Well, they didn't go for the Disney story I was looking forward to see. This adaption of the original novel worked, and there is a message in the plot. But it won't invoke a sense of nostalgia. Very good voice cast.

The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)

Got me in tears in 13 min. - Heartwarming and Funny

[9/10 · 12 August 2021]

I love this. First off the story is great!

The animation mash of styles is amazing, just like 'Into The Spider-Verse'. This is a wholesome family movie for young and old. I cried multiple times from the sincere moments.

Sony Animation is stepping up their game and Pixar Animation has some competition!

The Circle (I) (2017)

Good concept, they could have done much more with it.

[6/10 · 12 August 2021]

This concept feels like a black mirror episode that made it into a movie. But I feel they could have done way more with the plot.

Jay only enters a few times to warn her and they didn't really build out their plans together.

Emma's character also seems to have a few consistency holes in her moral dilemmas, or it's not shown enough.

I think they could have also made this a bit more grounded in reality to have more thrilling experience and to impact more how scary it is that a mega corp wants to take over all data, think of how David Fincher would have portrayed this... or like how Minority Report feels. But they keep in this utopian vibe that doesn't drive home the severity of the situation.

The ending could have been done better.

So I give it a 6 as the concept and cast is great, but basically it's a 9 -3 for the execution.

Sicario (2015)

Thrillingly real suspense with a touch of war docu feeling

[9/10 · 8 August 2021]

I knew I was going to like this as I respect Dennis Villenue and Roger Deakins immensely, as is the cast solid.

What struck me is how Deakins made it feel almost like a documentary, with the point of view scenes and long takes. It really builds suspense, greatly supported by a strong soundtrack. As you're taken deeper into this war zone, being as disturbed as Emily Blunt's character.

I regret not seeing this sooner, I knew this was going to be good.

The Old Guard (2020)

Good fun, terrible soundtrack & timing

[6/10 · 3 August 2021]

The concept of this film is cool, and the action is fun to watch. Plot has some depth for an action movie.

But whoever the music supervisor was doesn't understand when to out what kind of music with what kind of scenes. And I'm not saying that because they use existing and pop music sometimes along with the score tracks (Look at Tarantino, he does it great), but I saying it's because the mood of certain tracks and their placement takes you out of the movie instead of enhance it.

The Woman in the Window (2021)

Just when you thought it was over...

[7/10 · 30 July 2021]

This is actually a good film, (don't mind the book purists). If you like figuring things out, plot twists and re-watching for hints etc. This is your thing.

Taking place mainly inside, it is actually shot really nicely. Great use of camera movement when appropriate, some clever composition and lovely lighting that actually carries some meaning ;)