Detri_Mantela Reviews

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

Enjoyably stupid

[5/10 · 17 July 2023]

The biggest mystery for me is how the script got approved in the first place. Because on paper, nothing in this movie makes sense. There are examples of movies that intentionally don't make much sense, like "Movie 43" and "Don't Mess With Zohan", for example. They are stripped of logic to create an absurd and hilarious experience. I am not sure if the writers of "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" intended to follow the same approach, but it seems like they may have tried to. The plot and gags are objectively bad, but not "so bad, they're good". However, I can't say the film as a whole is percieved as stupid or boring. There's nothing boring about this movie because, somehow, it manages to stay interesting despite all the silliness. It is very naive and corny, but not in an annoying way. Despite all its flaws, the picture has a certain cuteness to it that makes you forgive it for everything. Nevertheless, it doesn't explain how this movie got the green light in the very beginning. It was impossible to predict that the chemistry between the lead actors, who I believe are the main reason the film's sillines doesn't annoy the hell out of you, would be so excellent.

Crocodile Dundee (1986)

Sometimes it's okay to keep things simple

[7/10 · 16 July 2023]

It has been a long time since I've seen such heart-warming picture. I don't know if the movie is considered to a classic, but if it isn't. It should be. The film is 30 years old, but it hasn't aged a bit. What surprised me the most is the humor - there's nothing fancy about it, it's as straightforward as it gets, but for some reason, I found myself giggling at every little silly joke as though I was 12 years old all over again.

It is an adventuruous comedy for men and an exciting romance for women. Mick Dundee represents a positive masculine image for men to strive for, which is especially important in our age of lost values.

Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (2015)

Cashgrab

[4/10 · 16 July 2023]

5 years after the first part had grossed a decent box office, the creators thought to themselves "Why not to milk the name some more?". The original wasn't great to begin with and the sequel is far from being great either, to put it lightly. To be honest, this movie is an outright garbage. A classic example of tasteless and stale humor. The potential was there, but either the writers got too lazy or they just didn't care. The final product ended up being that kind of movie which you regret spending time on and can't wait for it to end. I feel bad for people who actually spent their money to watch this gargbage. At least I watched it on my TV for free, and even I had this masculine urge to demand a refund.

Interstellar (2014)

The best movie of 2010s

[10/10 · 16 July 2023]

I am not a fan of movie theaters. I love movies, but I don't enjoy going to a theater to watch them. Thus, only few films have been honored with a cinema viewing by me. "Interstellar' was one of them.

I like to think that before going to the cinema, I wasn't greatly influenced by the magnitude of Christopher Nolan as a director, the name didn't mean much to me. I was going to the cinema with my friends just to watch what I thought would be a good movie. Little did I know, I was about to witness one of the best movies I have ever seen... or rather heard. Don't get me wrong, the visuals, the acting, the plot are superb, but what I think impressed me the most is the score, especially the main theme which I still consider the greatest soundtrack of all time.

How many movies have made you cry? Not many, I guess. I am not the exception. I have watched more than 700 movies, and only about a dozen of them made me shed a tear. On my first watch of "Interstellar", I was in the company of my friend who was crying in the middle of it like there was no tomorrow. I didn't share his emotions that day, but two weeks later, I happened to watch the movie again with another friend who hadn't seen it yet. I don't know what happened, but for some reason, on my second watch, the movie was able to pierce through my armor.

I still remember being under the immpression from the movie even hours after leaving the cinema - it felt like I went through catharsis. I know many people hate the picture, call it "overrated" and stuff, but I am deeply convinced it deserves every word of appraisal it gets. Each decade has its defining movie, "Interstellar" is one of those movies.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Hands down, the greatest superhero movie of all time.

[10/10 · 15 July 2023]

"Infinity war" is the ultimate comic book movie. It's the pinnacle of the genre. The way they were able to put together all the multifaceted characters is just perfect. It's hard for me to imagine anything ever topping it.

I've never been a fan of superhero movies. I enjoyed them like any other action movies that are fun to watch once and then forget about. "Infinity War" completely blew me away in that regard. I still can't stop thinking about it. From the first seconds, the grim atmosphere let me know that something special awaited me.

What really made the movie for me is the main antagonist, Thanos. Thanos is the best villain, or should I say "antihero", of all time, in my opinion. He's definitely my favorite. Yeah, the solution he came up with is somewhat questionable, but his motivation was definitely good. In my eyes, Thanos is as much a hero as any of the Avengers, if not greater. When you really think about it, while the Avengers only bothered themselves with the well-being of their fellow Earthlings, Thanos had a grander vision. He cared not only about his own species but about all living beings in the entire Universe. Unlike the superheroes who were mostly reactive (they would be doing nothing if bad guys weren't causing trouble), Thanos was proactive. He took it upon himself to make the Universe a better place, not for his own benefit, but for the sake of all living creatures out there. He took the risk and eventually paid the price for it. I mean, he knew the pursuing and realization of his ultimate goal might cost him life, but he still went for it anyway, for the common good. If that isn't the ultimate sacrifice of a true hero, then I don't know what is.

The ending is what elevates the movie from the ranks of merely good to great. That's why the sequel could never surpass it, as such an ending would be impossible in the true final installment of the franchise. I dare to say the ending is one of the best in the history of cinema.

R.I.P.D. (2013)

The worst Ryan Reynolds movie

[4/10 · 14 July 2023]

Another movie I happened to stumble upon on my TV a couple of years ago which turned out to be a complete disaster. "R. I. P. D." had everything to be at least a good movie - an interesting setup, good actors and a huge budget. As a result, not only we didn't get a good movie, but we got one of the worst movies Ryan Reynolds has ever taken a part in (yes, even worse than "Green Lantern"). The humor is awful, the plot is ridiciluosly bad, the special effects are too cartoonish. At some point, the film became so unbearably bad that I could not help but change the channel, so I wasn't even capable of finishing the movie, which is quite rare for me to not finish a movie. Who knows, maybe it's the only movie I didn't watch till the end.

Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)

Disappointing

[4/10 · 12 July 2023]

I happened to stumble upon this movie on TV after having it in my watchlist for months. I don't remember the exact reason the film found its way into my watchlist: maybe I saw the poster, read the description, and it gave me off the "Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy" vibes, so I thought to myself, "It must be a decent movie". It is not a decent movie. Shame on me for expecting something truly great from an obviously kids' flick. I know that my expectations are my problem, but still, I believe people should rate movies based on their own subjective perspective. And from my personal subjective perspective, here's my take: the film is full of cliches, annoyingly predictable as well as naive. A kids' movie can be interesting for both kids and adults if everything is done right, but "Zathura: A Space Adventure" isn't the case. Perhaps your children or younger siblings will find the adventure breathtaking and the humor funny, but my advice to you would be to let them enjoy the spectacle alone.

Before Sunrise (1995)

One night as one life

[10/10 · 11 July 2023]

Ah, man, here goes another deeply personal movie. I can't say I had specifically met a woman on a train with whom I spent a night walking the streets of an unfimilar city, but the feeling of the inevitable and imminent closure to the chapter I happened to share with this human being is so dear to my heart. If you really think about it, you will understand that closure of that chapter when you say goodbye to someone, to someone who was making you feel special, is like a little death - a death of the exact person that someone was making you feel like, a death of the best version of yourself.

The movie made me feel the way movies rarely do. I completely dissolved myself in the story, I ceased to exist, there was no me - I was the main characters which were more alive on the dead surface of my screen than the majority of people I know.

It is mind-boggling that something created on the opposite side of the planet, one year before I had a chance to see the light of the world, would be able to resonate with me with that strength 27 years later. That's truly what art is supposed to do: transcend space and time.

The Shining (1980)

Great Movie

[8/10 · 10 July 2023]

Let's adress the elephant in the room: Shelley Duvall (the actress portraying Jack's wife) is the most "uncoventional" (to put it politely) looking woman I've ever seen to get a lead role in such a high-profile movie. At first, I was slightly taken aback by this choice, but as the movie progressed and the actress was given more and more space to showcase her acting capabilities she completely convinced me that she was the perfect cast for that role. Speaking of perfect roles, I will go as far as to say that Jack Nicholson was born for his role in "The Shining". Whoever was responsible for the casting did an excellent job.

This is probably only the third Kubrik's movie I've watched but it looks like he's on his way to entering my list of favorite directors. When I watch his movies it always feels like he's a couple of decades ahead of the industry, and "The Shining" isn't an exception. Visually, the picture looks outstandingly clean and fresh, which took me by surprise, considering the movie is 30 years old. Every frame radiates this unfathomable touch of grandeur only Kubrik is capable of.

The movie is two and a half hours long, but it doesn't feel that way at all. It is quite evident for anyone who has read the book, how much had to be simplified, shortened, condensed or outright thrown out in order to fit the story into the chronoligal boundaries of a feature-length film. On one hand, it favours the film, since every scene matters and every sequence is important, the viewer doesn't have time to get bored. On the other hand, the ending feels too abrupt and sudden, thus a certain feeling of incompleteness leaves a rather sour aftertaste.

Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)

Even worse than the first one

[5/10 · 8 July 2023]

Even though the original rather sucked, the sequel still somehow managed to end up being a worse movie. The bar was low but they weren't even able to surpass that. I don't believe the issue lies in a lack of talent or effort. The actors here were much better than those in the previous film. But hey, let's not forget that Part 2 was released just 1 year after the first part, so no wonder it feels so rushed and lackluster. The beginning was truly promising, but as the first murder happens it all is downhill from there. One of the most abrupt and out of place endings in the history of cinematography is just the icing on the cake.

Futurama (1999– )

Truly Iconic

[10/10 · 7 July 2023]

I am so grateful to one of my national TV providers for broadcasting this TV series in my country around 15 years ago. In hindsight, I realise there would have been no other way for me to watch this masterpiece during my teenage years - probably the best time to watch this kind of show. "Futurama" was one of those few building blocks that eventually formed my sense of humor as it is today.

I can't think of any critisicm regarding the series - it is just perfect. Everything about it is iconic and for good reason. I applaud to the creators for not milking the franchise until they could no longer. I know that right around this time a new season is being premiered, but I don't consider it to be "milking", since 10 years is a helluva time to come up with new ideas, so I want to believe the new season will be as good as the old ones.

Scream 3 (2000)

Mid

[6/10 · 6 July 2023]

Considering how many important characters were murdered in the first two films, I am kinda let down by the death toll in the third one. It is the end of the trilogy, after all. Why not go a little bit overboard and kill at least more than one important character? As for the final chapter it lacked high stakes. It didn't feel as the end of the story at all. In terms of quality, "Scream 3" finds itself somewhere between the first and second installments of the franchise. I am not sure if anything new was introduced here. It just took the best elements from its predecessors, combined them, and as a result, we got not a bad, not a good, but just an "okay" movie.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

The best out of the first three!

[7/10 · 3 July 2023]

They've done it again! They've managed to make another sequel that was interesting to watch! In fact, I dare say it was the best installment of the series thus far. The movie finally had the budget it so desperately needed to showcase the terryfing and absurd nightmares our brains can conjure while we sleep. Not only the special effects got better, the cast improved dramatically too. We finally had actors who could actually act, which was a necessity here since the characters weren't your generic students anymore but believable personalities with inner demons of their own.

In retrospect, the second film now feels unnecessary and out of place. It's a shame "Dream Warriors" didn't come out right after the original. Anyway, it looks like the story has been concluded, but since I know there still are a lot of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" movies, I am kind of worried about the quality of the upcoming sequels.

Friday the 13th (1980)

Didn't stand the test of time

[5/10 · 3 July 2023]

So... What exactly am I supposed to review here? It's one of the most generic horror movies I have ever seen. I suppose during its initial release, it didn't seem generic at all, perhaps even quite the opposite. It must have been such a fresh and new concept that a completely new sub-genre was emerged - teenagers getting slashed in a summer camp. However, since I watched "Friday the 13th" after I had already seen all its succesors, the whole novelty shtick just fell flat.

It's not a bad movie, and I wasn't bored whatsoever - it's just too predictable and sometimes too straightforward for my taste. The music was great, though. You know, this classic horror movie sound which modern horror films definitely lack. For me, the soundtrack made the movie - not the script or the actors.

The Sopranos (1999–2007)

Cournerstone of all modern TV series

[10/10 · 1 July 2023]

It took me around two years to complete the series, but I think it was for the better. I was kind of not used to this TV-show structure where the episodes are more like a series of discrete, independent from one another, complete mini-stories with barely palpable main plot thread happening somewhere in the background sewing all the episodes into one fabric of a cohesive world. That being said, I feel like I lost nothing by not binge-watching the whole series in a matter of weeks. Since there wasn't any intricated and convoluted story many details of which I would had to remember in order to enjoy it, I gave myself time to savour each episode independently from one another. Initially, you may not grasp the greatness of "The Sopranos", but as the seasons pass, the multifaceted and deep characters start to grow on you, levaing you no choice but to appreciate the genius of the scriptwriting as well as the perfomance of the actors it was written for. Take, for example James Gandolfini, who seems to have been born for the role of Tony Soprano. I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say that his performance in the show is the most prominent in all of the history of television. As a result, "The Sopranos" transformed the industry and set a new standard for TV series to strive for.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Unreasonably pretentious

[7/10 · 19 June 2023]

This is one of my top candidates for "The Most Overrated Movie of All Time" award. As long as I remember myself this movie has been considered to be a classic. Even when I was an uneducated teenager who knew nothing about the world of cinema, even then I knew that "The Silence of the Lambs" was a great movie. How wrong I was.

For the first time I stumbled upon the movie on TV during my high school years. To say I wasn't impressed is to say nothing. If my memory serves me right, I even fell asleep in the middle of it. That's okay, I thought, that's not the film's fault, it's my fault - I should have started it from the very beginning and probably I was just too young anyway to understand all the intricacies of the story and dialogues. So around 10 years later I decided to give it another chance. And do you know what? My opinion hasn't changed. It is really as boring as I remember it to be. 10 years later and I still almost fell asleep in the middle of it. Don't get me wrong, the movie isn't bad, but it definitely receives more appraise than it deserves. It's too pretentious. It's not worth even a half of the hype it eventually has generated in our society.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

Not as bad as expected

[6/10 · 18 June 2023]

So, yeah, the ending of the first movie was just a random plot twist the only purpose of which was to show that Freddy didn't actually die so that the sequel could be made - the sequel which ended up being much better than I expected. I expected to see the same movie but with different characters, but it's not what I got. They found a way to add a new wrinkle to the monster's persona, a new feature, a new power. This time around, the action wasn't happening in dreams but in real world, which was interesting. I thought I would give up on the franchise if the sequel wasn't the direct continuation of the first movie, but now I am curious to watch the third part to see what they will come up with this time in order to keep the franchise fresh. As long as they don't repeat themselves they have my attention.

Pay It Forward (2000)

A misleading title

[6/10 · 18 June 2023]

The whole "Pay It Forward" concept felt more like a backdrop to the trivial romantic story than an actual main theme of the movie. You could throw away the whole "change the world" thing and not much would change - the main characters would still be the struggling mother and the disfigured teacher, because all the major plot points were unfolding around their love story anyway. The school assignment was just an excuse to kick off their relationship. Speaking about the disfigured teacher, or "disfigured" would be a more appropriate way to put it. My god, they didn't find the courage to make Kevin Spacey's character truly ugly. On paper, he was supposed to look horrifying, but in reality, if you were watching the movie in not the best quality, let's say 480p, you would not understand what exactly was supposed to make him look horrifying.

The ending is the most egregious attempt to get a sobbing finale I've ever seen. It was so stupid. First of all, when was the last time you saw 7th grader bringing a knife to a random school fight and actually stubbing his peer with it? Second of all, who the hell dies from a single belly stub, especially when the aid is provided as soon as possible? Not only they killed the poor child for no reason other than to get an emotional ending (they simply didn't know how to end the movie, I guess), but they also did it in such an unbilievable fashion.

Overall, the picture left a rather sour aftertaste. The writers were torn by many directions where they wanted to make the story to go, which led to an incoherent plot and, as a result, to an average movie which otherwise could have been included in the list of classic titles such as "Invention of Liying" and "Idiocracy".

Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)

Good movie, but easily forgettable

[6/10 · 17 June 2023]

Finally, after so many years, I got to watch this classic. It turned out to be exactly what I expected it to be - moderately interesting, moderately intriguing, with all the good old standard tropes characteristic of this kind of movies. The level of corniness was just right. Nonetheless, I don't understand what is the reason behind this movie being considered "a classic". Yes, it is not bad, but there were a lot of "not bad" movies released during that time. I don't see anything particularly special about it. Perhaps it was the Cage and Jolie duo (btw, my god, she looked anorexic in that role. How could anyone find that character sexy? She looked terminally ill or something. The only thing I would want to put in her is a huge, fat, calorie-dense hot dog or a slice of pizza. I guess the beauty standards were different back then)? Interestingly, here we have another movie influenced by the original "Die Hard" - the main villain is an intelectual British cynic guy with principles and a fragile ego, just like in the first installment of that classic franchise.

Dick Tracy (1990)

Great adaptation, not so great movie

[6/10 · 16 June 2023]

What a way to bring comics to the big screen! "Dick Tracy" low-key might be one of the best comic book adaptaions of all time. The atmosphere of the original visual novel was preserved to the utmost degree - it truly felt like reading a noir comic book. The makeup alone is on legendary level.

However, the movie is still just an adaptaion of a comic book. Perhaps, the director went a little too far with making the movie as close to the source material as possible. It lacks the depth a good movie should have and sometimes feels too silly. Nonetheless, I think it should be considered a classic because it paved the way for many more great comic book adaptations that would come in the future.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Too Relatable

[10/10 · 9 June 2023]

This movie is just too personal for me to even attempt to review it in the classical way. The main female character just happens to be very similar to that one girl I once fell in love with during my university years. Like in the movie, our relationship didn't last long, and the ending was far from happy (at least for me). I've watched over 700 movies and only few of them have resonated with me the way this one has. It is crazy how a piece of art created on the other side of the planet and a decade ago can be so relatable (another such movie for me is "Before Sunrise", btw). Even if I set aside the personal experience, I think I would still rate the movie 9/10. It is truly a masterpiece in every way and form.

Borat (2006)

Comedy Pinnacle

[10/10 · 8 June 2023]

The pinnacle of dark humor in cinematography. It has been more than 17 years and yet a funnier movie is to be released. To be honest, I don't think the world will ever witness something funnier than this. The only film which has come close is its own sequel. The unprecedented blend of reality and fiction makes the spectacle truly mesmerizing, bringing humor to a completely new level never seen before on the big screen. "Borat" is as courageous as it's hilarious - to do what Sasha Baron Cohen did in the picture requires a lot of guts, so kudos to him for finding the courage to bring this daring idea to fruition.

Magnolia (1999)

Too Much to Digest

[8/10 · 6 June 2023]

There is so much I want to say about this film, yet at the same time, I am speechless. I am not sure it is possible to comprehend the full picture after only one viewing. So much is going on simultaneously, so much eventually ends up to be intersected. It is a shame I don't have the habit of rewatching movies, because otherwise, I would have already rewatched "Magnolia" a couple of times since I watched it a couple of days ago.

Nonetheless, since I kind of made it obligatory for myself to review every movie I watch, here's my short review: intriguing, deep, relatable and fascinating. What also is interesting, it is one of the first movies released in late 90s that technically feels squite contemporary: if I didn't know better, I would swear that "Magnolia" is a movie shot in 2017 or something - that's how good it looks.

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

I have no idea what it all was about and I like it

[8/10 · 2 June 2023]

I have a question: what this movie was about? Don't get me wrong, I found the film to be quite entertaining, and the almost three-hour duration didn't weigh on me at all. However, I honestly want to know what is the moral and theme of the story? The cast is superb - I could watch Cruise and Kidman for more than just 3 hours. It's always a pleasure to see beautiful and talented people doing what they are best at ( I bet Tom Ford was thinking the same thing casting Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal for the main roles in "Nocturnal Animals").

Overall, there isn't much I have to say about the picture. "Eyes Wide Shut" isn't the type of movie you are supposed to understand, it is the type of movie you are supposed to feel.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Classic indeed

[7/10 · 31 May 2023]

Okay, finally a scary old-school horror movie. Unlike "Halloween", which I consider to be overrated as hell, this one 100% deserves the hype and the legacy it has left is completely justified.

I mean, let's be honest, the concept is just too good to mess up - a freak chasing you in your dreams? Just reading about it makes my blood go cold. The actual presentation and realization of the idea didn't disappoint in the slightest. The ending, though, was kinda disappointing. I hope it was done for the sake of continuing the story in the sequel (which I haven't watched yet) - if not, then the ending was really lame.