[TheZechman]

Oppenheimer - 4/10

Before I start, I promise I'm not trying to be a contrarian.

This movie had a TON of praise as I went in to see it, and I think a lot of it came from Nolan's love of the IMAX 70mm. Being in Japan, I didn't have any way to see it in IMAX, but I was able to see it on my local base theatre. But the display isn't what took me away from this movie.

I have never been this annoyed with how a movie was edited. It wasn't an action film, but it was cut and scored as if it was an entry in the Jason Bourne series. It was SO over the top with how intense the music was, and how quick the cuts were in scenes where planning/traveling was happening. Not only was the cutting intense, but this was still probably 45 minute before the bomb testing moments were happening. So they were building to moments that had not enough gravity. I don't need a 90 minute trailer in the middle of a movie.

I like a longer film if they can pace it right, but with how high-energy they attempted to make a movie about an academic scientist, I think he missed the mark.

Visually the movie looked great. There were some really great motifs in the soundtrack that played with mixed meter and time changes to represent the doomsday clock/time passing in the film.

 

[tdockweiler]

U-571 - 6.5/10

It's not bad. I wonder how many people went to the theaters thinking this was a true story.
It's not. Hollywood decided to give the Americans the credit for capturing the first Enigma machine, but it was actually the British.
It has some ideas borrowed from Das Boot and of course that's a far better movie.
Get the extended version of that if you can still find it.
Probably one of the best movies ever made?

TLDR;

Watch DAS BOOT Director's Cut instead. Here's a trailer:

 

[tdockweiler]

Fair Play - 4/10

This is a new Netflix film and it was #1 on their Top 10 list today.
I'm totally OK with seriously negative portrayals of all men in a film, but this was a bit much X10.
I mean the movie is almost offensive due to how poorly they scripted each character and their reactions to certain events.
It's as if every character made the most poor choice available to them, whichever one would add more drama to the story.
At times half the scenes in the movie felt like something out of a soap-opera.
My issue is that I just can't take this non-sense seriously. None of it is very believable at all.

Man I can't wait to see the review of this from the Ben Shapiro weird guy. He's going to be raging more than he did for Barbie!
I'm a liberal Democrat and this movie almost even offended me with how silly it was.

Here's some other alternative names they could have used for the movie (I came up with them while watching it, because of how dumb it's characters were):

"My Fiance is a Psychopath, but that's OK".

"All Men are Scumbags"

"How not to spot a Psychopath: A Guide in 6 episodes"

"I Went Berserk at the Office Again, Will you forgive me?"

I guess they won't make much sense until you see the movie. I hope more people do! If you dare...
Come up with your own!

Spoiler

The Fiance was definitely a psychopath. I was totally OK with the last scene of the movie. I wish she had moved out way earlier, but then we wouldn't have this non-sense movie.

I have to give it credit though. It's well made (except for the script) and the acting is above average (but some serious over-acting).
It had some suspense and made me feel like garbage the whole movie (not because i'm a man lol).
This could have been way better if it was more low-key and was more of a slow-burn suspense/thriller.
Critics are probably going to eat this up unfortunately.

 

[tdockweiler]

Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of Juul - 6/10

This is a brand new Netflix documentary.
This felt like one big advertisement for Juul. I wonder how much they paid Netflix?
Sure there were some negative things about their product shown, but so what?
It came across to me as if they trying to portray it as big government going after the "little guys" who wanted to change the world
I'm not buying it that they wanted to save lives and eliminate combustible cigarettes forever.
Once it was making them millions, I bet they stopped believing in that.
At first there was not enough nicotine in them, so they just added more so if felt like a real cigarette. I guess it made them more money.
Then of course most of the employees probably sold out when they got bought out by big tobacco.
I actually am clueless about E-cigs. I've never smoked, but I can definitely see some huge benefits maybe.
I lived next to a massive chain smoker in an apartment once and it was the most awful experience ever.
I wish E-cigarettes existed back then!

PS It's hard to believe a pack of cigarettes is about $7 here..and I thought the price of coffee was bad!
Coffee is my "drug" of course, but now i'm trying to save money and make my own tea.
I actually used to be addicted to Diet Pepsi. It's hard to imagine.
Know what else is very addicting when you try to quit it "cold turkey" after consuming it daily?
White table sugar! Stuff like cookies, cakes, pie etc.
I've replaced that with fruit now, which is perfectly fine.

Gladiator - 7/10

One of the most overrated movies ever IMO.
It's hard to believe it got a Best Picture win and was even nominated.
The story is really nothing special and almost a bit silly.
The gladiator fights are also very poorly shot.
You can barely see what's going on well most of the time.
It's not a bad movie, but I probably won't watch this more than twice.

 

[Philimon]

The Simpsons last great season is 7. Season 8 seems like they got a new group of writers or they stopped caring. Not just weaker jokes and some repitition, but the characters lost some continuity and started becoming caricatures of themselves. Anyways, there are still some good episodes in season 7 and great moments, so still worth watching. Just cant imagine it being much worse while still being recommended viewing (ahem, season9).

 

[Whazzzup]

The big door prize 2023 Apple TV +



wanted to like Chris odowd, IT guy, and tried puffing to see if it helped. Morpheus, what the frig, a blue machine pumping out fortune cookies of one’s potential, after one types in social insurance numbers…..? Well no matter the amount of devil lettuce, good acting and semi competent writing, couldn’t move the needle. I did chuckle at giorgio and Jacob’s character certainly brought sympathy, but 3.25 out of 5 raunchy stems n seeds puffs.

 

[tdockweiler]

Barbie - 5/10

Honestly, I actually wasn't expecting to dislike this so much. It's just not any fun at all to sit through.
I mean it's not painful to sit through, but I found it sort of bland and not very interesting.
There's really so little in it that is funny or even amusing. There's only one scene where I found the main Ken funny.
It's when he tries to get a job with no experience.
The only time I laughed out loud was when I heard Allen's reaction to having to massage feet.
It wasn't even that funny! I almost laughed at his silly fight scene too.

All it's "woke" (not my opinion) messages didn't even remotely annoy me.
I just don't think it's a good movie. The last 5 minutes were pure cringe to me.

By the end my reaction is basically "What the hell did I just watch?"

BTW do kids actually like this? I somehow can't imagine that. I think it would bore them.

Mercury 13 - 8/10

Strangely enough I watched this today too.
It was about the all female Mercury space program that was scrapped by NASA unfortunately.
It's a well made documentary.

Cold Case Files (Season 2) - 9/10

This is the only season on Netflix and I hope they add more.
It's a very good crime documentary about cold cases that were eventually solved, usually due to new evidence or advances in DNA technology.
Every episode is really good.
I have to admit though that this is not binge watching material.
Some of the murders being discussed are very disturbing and sad. The worst was by far the final episode.
I can't watch more than 2 episodes per day before having to switch to something else.
Nothing graphic is even shown.

Watching this series requires a LOT of energy. It's probably 25 episodes that are 45 minutes each.
By the time I finish the series I wanted to find more seasons.

I was surprised how often they would get DNA from suspects by following them around and swiping their DNA off a cup or cigarette etc.
Of course that's legal without their permission since it's in the public domain or something.
I think they did this only as a confirmation though to see if they got a match.

After watching this show it made me want to take extra precautions with my own safety. Maybe even think twice about walking alone at night.

The Phantom (2017) - 9/10

Another really good documentary about a man who was wrongly convicted and sent to his death.

 

[Whazzzup]

Home before dark 2020 Apple TV +



ok this may be/involve kiddies so no puffs will be discussed, but like the bureau of magical things, this appeals to parents as well. 8yr old prodigy goes out and investigates the shenanigans of local police in snared in decades old frame up, the result, the entire trajectory of bad folk changes but yes other bad folk evolve. Both seasons competent, my wife gives it a solid 4 out of 5. If you need a different cup of tea, it’s here

 

[tdockweiler]

Jailer - 7.5/10

Loved the visual style of this movie. Plus it has a lot of interesting, but weird characters. Thought I was watching a Wes Anderson film at times.
The movie is pretty entertaining, but goes on far too long (it's 2h33m). I also was not sure if this was meant to be part comedy or what.
A lot of parts were more just amusing, but not actually funny. I guess a lot of it's comedy went over my head. I don't think I laughed once. I try!
Some of it's characters almost act a bit too cartoony. They just don't seem realistic at all, but maybe that was intended.
Again, reminded of how some of the characters in a Wes Anderson film.
What surprised me the most is it's super high level of violence. It almost seems to glorify violence, which is weird to see.
They even tried to make the gory parts funny it seems. I don't think i've seen this level of gore/violence in an action movie since maybe "Dragged Against Concrete".
There is a lot of hitting people in the head with a hammer, chopping someone's head off and other nasty stuff.

What I found sort of funny is how when someone smoked in the movie they would put a warning logo on the screen! Same with drinking and texting while driving!
Yet, someone getting their head bashed in with a hammer was A-OK! Do they seriously think kids are going to see this movie and want to light up a cigarette because it looks cool on screen?

The biggest problem with this movie is it's story. It's just not very good, but makes a good action movie I guess.

If you find the comedy in this one funny, I bet you'd like it a lot more than me for sure.

PS at times I thought I was watching some bizarre mix of a John Woo and Wes Anderson film (!).




Catch me if you can - 10/10

One of my all time favorites and I just watched it again for the first time in maybe 5 years.

 

[DenverW]

Sigh. As a huge fan of Raiders of the Lost Ark fan it never ceases to amaze me how things can be made and produced nowadays.

Does no one stop them and say, "Hey, that's really dumb. You're not going to hit a B-52 with a ballistae." I could list 20 other things that made the movie poor.

Bottom line: Dial of Destiny was not as bad as the Crystal Skull (one of the worst films I've seen) but it was certainly not good.

 

[jsk ksj]

You made me chuckle

It's not as any of the other Indy movies were without contrivances. They are fantasy movies, all of them. Some more enjoyable than others, but to criticize this one for lack of realism seems to me to be a little churlish.

Said b52 had just flown through a timey-wimey wormhole, given that, hell why not be hit by a ballistae?

 

[DenverW]

You made me chuckle

It's not as any of the other Indy movies were without contrivances. They are fantasy movies, all of them. Some more enjoyable than others, but to criticize this one for lack of realism seems to me to be a little churlish.

Said b52 had just flown through a timey-wimey wormhole, given that, hell why not be hit by a ballistae?

I know what you're saying! For me, it's the difference between plot and treating the audience like they're stooopid. For example, aliens or time travel can be made part of the plot, but having Indy survive a nuclear explosion because he climbed into a refrigerator (which shoots high into the sky as well) is treating me like i'm an idiot.

 

[tdockweiler]

Vjeran Tomic: The Spider-Boy of Paris - 7/10

Do you like listening to people brag about terrible things they've done? Maybe how great they are and that they should be given an award?
Well, here is your documentary. It's one that really didn't need to be made. It's about one of the biggest art heists in France. Sounds exciting? It's not.
What he accomplished is nothing special. He got lucky and found a window he could open by removing some screws. Wow, so talented!
I wonder how much Netflix paid him for his story? Hopefully not a lot. It's good that he is retired and paid for his crimes.
He spent 8 years in prison if I remember right.

The movie is actually very well made. Not boring and I sort of liked it. It got a lot better when the police were interviewed and they were tracking him down.
I'm really surprised how easily they were able to monitor his telephones. He was bragging about what he did when drunk.
He was a known thief so he was already on the police's radar.

PS I think the paintings he stole were worth 100 million or something. They ended up being destroyed (supposedly). Hopefully they are still out there somehow. I want to buy them!

 

[SilverEars]

Raider's of the Lost Arc level of movie making will never happen again for the franchise. The movie industry isn't in a good direction right now. They do not take risks, and steered toward business decisions. They put investments into bringing back such franchises, but do not have concerns with quality of contents.

I've heard that today's movie budgeting is more risky due to no more video rental/tape/dvd markets to make up for the investments (for making more risky decisions). And I guess that causes them to make the kind of decisions they do? I really don't know, there must be more to it.

Also, I do not expect anybody to match what Spielburg/Lucas could do in their youth. I just want new directors to bring innovations to the film industry that directors like Spielburg did in their youth. I'm sure they exist, but the industry must be hindering for them to be discovered. Or film is a dying area that isn't as crucial as the older generations. Media is always changing as time goes on, there are various ways of consuming media that didn't exist before. I play video games for example. And there are really good examples of innovations in the video game industry as well, which is a very high profit industry. So ambitions of youth changes to other mediums. And I'm gonna say, it's generally in the youth that innovates.

Perhaps new directors are not given the kind of creative controls that was given to young Spielburg and Lucas back in the days? It's all about corporations like Disney dictating what will happen with gobs of people collaborating that leads to a product that isn't shaped by creativity.

I also really liked The Last Crusade. Those two films are very complementary and similar in style. Two of the greatest films I've ever seen.

Anyway, I've not had any motivations to see movies these days (or TV series). Any rehash of older franchises has been disappointments, and anything new just sucks. I don't see much innovations in film making anymore.

Whatch the Disney documentary on the FX team of the original Star Wars trilogy. You will get an idea of how good films comes together, and it's not from something formulaic or systematic. That's not how creativity works.

 

[nraymond]

Raider's of the Lost Arc level of movie making will never happen again for the franchise. The movie industry isn't in a good direction right now. They do not take risks, and steered toward business decisions. They put investments into bringing back such franchises, but do not have concerns with quality of contents.

I've heard that today's movie budgeting is more risky due to no more video rental/tape/dvd markets to make up for the investments (for making more risky decisions). And I guess that causes them to make the kind of decisions they do? I really don't know, there must be more to it.

There's no long-tail revenue from rentals anymore, physical media sales were undermined by streaming and digital downloads, revenue from digital downloads is a fraction of that from what used to come from rentals/physical media purchases, and any streaming movies included with streaming services are a recurring cost to those streaming services unless they are bringing in more customers (so they often get dropped from streaming fast, because the streaming services think they're not bringing in enough new customers). Meanwhile all the streaming services are dumping millions into too much new/exclusive content which frankly nobody has the time to watch all of, and things are spread out over all these different services who has the time to even figure out where they can stream something these days, let alone movies which get pulled from streaming at the drop of a hat?

Studios now have to make all their movie from their theater runs, so riskier mid-budget movies don't get green-lit anymore since there's no rental market and the studios focus entirely on the big-budget blockbusters and are trying to make them as reliable and modular as possible for worldwide releases, de-emphasizing directors and emphasizing the franchises, with some money thrown to the low-budget/indie movies because they are cheap and low risk and enough will make enough money (and they give the studios some cred). The modern blockbuster formula doesn't really give opportunity for doing art or anything risky of significance: