Shaggers Reviews

The Lorax (2012)

How bad can it be?

[6/10 · 15 August 2022]

This movie has a story that could be really good for a family movie, but fails because it seems really dated in writing and the visuals and acting are average at best for their time. It feels like a barbeque dad wrote a decent story and added a bunch of filler of banter he'd have to his kids. The plot of the onceler when he's younger is actually decent, not great very silly and cartoony but that's expected from this. It manages to be a decent critique of capitalism like it intends, and is clearly the best part of this film. This entire film is dumbed down for kids so of course it's gonna be very on the nose about alot of stuff, but it feels like it's too dumb at the later half for a audience past preteens. The soundtrack just feels like generic orchestral music and doesn't feel like it's in the style of this movie, and stuff like the how bad can I be part are good but also dated and feels like a product exclusively of this time. The animation of this movie is good for the time some parts, other parts bad for even a decade before; it kinda looks like a game in a cartoon style from a few years ago. The animation is pretty simple over all. And this plot doesn't make sense for the world, only makes sense if this part of the world is the only thing that exists which this movie acts like. The amount of stuff that just doesn't make sense if you think of there being an outside world is uncountable, and this movie would be way different with it, better if accounted for. The writing is okay at parts but usually feels dated and immature, which I guess it's kinda this movie. It goes for the semi musical style like Pixar which was popular this time but doesn't work well. The main cast apart from the onceler feels really dumb, simple, and two dimensional. But its comically so, which perhaps can work, atleast comedically at times. Characters don't make much sense in this movie, but the base story is alright and how it's executed is okay, just from a synopsis it's good. Unfortunately they didn't do better with it and it was just made into a semi musical animated film like all the movies at the time, it doesn't do much special. It's super generic and doesn't try to be special.

Detroit: Become Human (2018 Video Game)

Graphics and soundtrack carries

[7/10 · 10 August 2022]

I love this game alot, it's choices and ability to effect the story in ways that feel like they actually matter is the best In almost any interactive story game period. But this game has critical flaws, many of them; it is carried by it's amazing graphics, brilliant sound design with things like voice acting and how everything sounds, and of course the brilliant soundtrack which feels like a true evolution to the soundtrack of heavy rain, which this steals alot of the melody's from. I prefer heavy rains soundtrack but Detroit's is still brilliant. My main problem is that this is a hilarious oversimplified allegory of the civil rights movements, and movements similar. It raises a question sure but it it is so simplified it leaves me feeling detached from this world, because this couldn't happen; atleast in the time it took in game that is. By far Kara's story is best, it's the best written, and feels like it could really happen in this world. As opposed to the other two, mainly markus's being pretty mehly written, and feeling detached from the characters. The only thing saving connors story from being that same fate is Hank, Hank isnt exactly well written but he's acted well, and he feels like he could be a real person. Unfortunate the most important story of the game being markus's fails at being a story that feels engaging. But even Kara's story isn't masterfully written, or even good writing. It's decent but not good. Which is sad to see compared to how well written heavy rain was. This is a problem of a few quantic games, and broadly across their entire catalog. This doesn't feel like a story that over all could happen, and the meeting up of them all at the end can feel kinda forced. But this does truly feel like an interactive movie more then any of their other games, unfortunately not an amazing one.

Memento (2000)

Do not trust his lies

[9/10 · 20 June 2022]

This movie is incredible and very unique in how it's story is told; backwards. It shows something then it explains it while the things at the start start to unravel for the viewer, until finally the kicker. It's a film that needs to be payed full attention to for sure, as there's so many little details. The backwards folding mystery. And throughout it make you question the entire film. The acting is solid for most of the actors, and I feel it has no s lister syndrome and doesn't have any improper casting decisions. This kind of story telling is replicated in Nolans newer movies like interstellar and Dunkirk though it's not the exact same, and not a literal backwards story like this. The filmography in this movie works effectively, but has not much of note, the zoomed out shots for most of it and it's very few close ups shows the bigger pictures, and the whole environment, black and white scenes for the very far back ones though, which eventually collide as we roll back the tape. It definitely isn't using the highest quality camera though even for the 2000s, but this is a fairly low budget movie. The effects are done well for that as well, and the makeup. The set design is also good, with it's world of just being a mid sized city like any other. This film does the feeling of mystery to engage the viewer incredibly well. And is able to flesh out the character and his feelings while him forgetting all of them by the next day. His rapid analysis of all the areas fit his monologues and explaining of his pasts life, and there are no inconsistencies of his character. As for all the other characters which are played very well, for most the movie you know about as much as he does which I feel is intentional. Until it unfolds. The music in this movie is very efficient while being quite simple and quiet. Not the best soundtrack, or even notable, but it is done well in here. This film is hard to review without spoilers which I try not to do, but it is a must see if you like Nolan movies, or mystery movies. Or both. And over all I'd say it's a 8.8.

Whiplash (2014)

Blood, sweat, and tears

[10/10 · 20 June 2022]

Attempt 2 at writing this review. This film does everything almost perfectly. The acting, the music, the mood, the sets, and the peak of it all the filmography, which is the best I've ever seen. I cried out of the intensity during this film, I stopped breathing a few times, and got chills in many scenes. It feels like we're peering right into the main protagonist, Andrew Neemans head as we experience every feeling of happiness, sadness, betrayal, pain, stress, and anger as he progresses through this music program. And this is undoubtedly miles tellers best performance, which is saying alot. And the antagonist being Terrence Fletcher is done incredibly well. And he isn't even really the antagonist ultimately; but he does kind of play the role of that. And this is jk Simmons best role, which is also saying alot, two brilliant actors doing the performance of a lifetime, all in the 19 days this movie took to film. You can feel the menacing and even terrifying feeling that Fletcher gives off in all his scenes he needs to. Everyone on the band is terrified of him, and are under so much stress being in. And you can feel that in everyone, all the actors here are good, which alot of them aren't even actors just musicians which is far more impressive. This movie is very focused on Neemans story and his feelings throughout. All the ups and downs feel so real, it feels like this is actually a real event happening Infront of you which adds so much to all the pressure. With this the camera does the perfect job with main focus of what Neemans focus is. If he's unstable or in a bad state the camera reflects that and adds to all the tension. If he's doing well it is stable. The close ups are perfect for the traditional film style and not done at any point that it shouldn't be. And it uses them to indicate either intimacy or claustrophobia. And anxiety within that. The music also helps paint these feelings, even being able to just use the music he's supposed to be practicing to make a scenes mood be more effective. This film is very engaging and I was on the edge the whole time. Neeman as a character is incredibly relatable to me, and helps my total understanding of him. But even with that I think anyone could watch this and understand everything about his feelings then and at that moment. The soundtrack is incredible and that's due to it being a music film. Everything leading up to the first climax is incredible, and I love it's close to immediate drop off. To whats the next stage of Andrews life, which is unfulfilling. And that leads to one of the most incredible final scenes of a movie, that makes everything about it, all the stress, all the anxiety, all the blood sweat and tears feel worth it. Which at this time you also feel Terrence as a better character, in his kindness, even if that may be fake. The sets are great, I never felt like it wasn't where it was saying. Which isn't hard, it doesn't have a range of areas that's hard or expensive to replicate, but still they're great. And the makeup is as good as needed. It's incredible this film was only 3 million dollars in 2014. I love the symbolism of the title, it does feel like emotional whiplash at times. And also tying that into the song whiplash. Also this movie feels like 15 minutes every 3, it feels so tense it makes time pass slower. It used every second effectively with a pretty short runtime of only 1hr 46.

Overall rating for me is a 9.6/10.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Corruption at Shawshank

[9/10 · 20 June 2022]

This movie is fantastic in it's build up and execution of what finally happens. With Andy and red going through so much, for both of them on their own to get redemption. In that it also points out an excellent point for the crappy us prison system, which only institutionalizes criminals. And makes you see the flaw of their failure to rehabilitate people. In this movie the acting is expressive and realistic from most people, but natural as something based off Steven king, the antagonist and alot of other bad characters come off as 2d and dry in terms of emotion, over the course of the film you get to see the warden in more depth, but the rest you don't besides maybe a quick glimpse into their life through dialog, which is an extremely strong point of this film. I feel all the conversation are written very well, and even reds narration is written very well if not a bit cliche. The story is very slow, and paints a beautifully sad picture of all of it throughout the course. And the story on its own is a really powerful one, which is a great combination with actually having been well done. The sets are great, of course as it almost exclusively takes place in one location. But even outside they're convincing. The way this movie presents back stories I can't feel if it's good or bad, but I like it and it's very unique. The music in this movie is extremely simple, but does it effectively. And the rest of the sound design is done fine too. The acting of red, Andy, Tommy, haywood, the warden, and brooks are all very fantastic performances. They all feel like real humans. And I feel like this could be a study of humans, it shows everything in so much detail while not being super long it's impressive. The ending is just iconic, and is one of the best endings for a movie. The long narration of what happens after while showing is so well done. This movie feels very grounded into reality which makes the satisfaction by the end all the more satisfying.

The camerawork in this movie isn't the best, but feels effective and never feels like it isn't conveying the mood or theme.

Overall though; even though I don't feel like it's the best movie ever, it's a fantastically written, with very efficient music and timing. And is a must see to anyone who likes good movies. Overall a 8.7/10 from me.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Same movie, different story

[6/10 · 20 June 2022]

This movies main quality is it's very fun. Critically it's not great. I see in alot of these reviews it's like a burger from fast food, and I absolutely agree with that metaphor. But really it only has that fun, feel good bits at the end. The rest of the story is very eh, some good parts. I feel they didn't do the relationship between rooster and maverick well, I think by the end it should be all good but in between it should've been more focused on them. But In the actual story it doesn't focus on that much at all. Also the actor for Peggy looks nothing like she did in the original which is very off-putting. And casting choice in this movie is a problem in general, it has heavy amounts of a list syndrome. I liked jon hamm in this movie, but he didn't play the part he was supposed to well, and I don't think he's a good pick. Neither with all the graduates, they all were fine, especially in action. But I didn't believe they were navy pilots. And the camerawork in this film is hit or miss, parts it's awful, way too many close ups, and not even good ones. But at times it was really creative, sometimes good. The flying shots really show this, they work very well. And that's really the main part of this film, the best part. They're very fun and engaging. Maverick isn't as weird as he was in the original, it's clear he's grown up, but he's still a bit weird and I don't feel his relationship has any chemistry still. Though I felt she was an actual human more then the first movie, she still totally switches up though. The only other part I'd say was good besides the flying portions, specifically the end is the planning of the mission, and the build up there which was done pretty decent. The music in this movie was done far better then the original, and actually usually fits the mood of the scene. Alot of the sets for this movie feel so cheap, like alot of things about this movie Do. They just feel so lifeless and even fake sometimes. Over all though, I think this movie was well done over the original, but It leans too much into the 80s style and references. Which I feel is kinda cliche and boring with some of them. As well reusing the same 80s music and even the shots feels like with alot of this they're just nostalgia baiting. Who took that picture of mav and Iceman anyway? That's never explained but it's just everywhere. Also it feels like mav didn't grow too much, still reckless and almost gets people killed. How they explained the last 30 years is good though, I think that was decently done, not making it too obvious but not hiding it. I do struggle to care about mav though, his acting is worse in this then the original. And stuff just happens, randomly out of nowhere at times. This movie also feels like navy propaganda, I don't know if they were funded by them but it feels like it, as well not only that but just feels very American, stereotypically much.

Over all score for me though is a 6.7 Very fun, not critical, but does flying parts well with a decently engaging mission plot. Even if most the characters aren't well done.

Interstellar (2014)

Peak sci-fi

[9/10 · 20 June 2022]

I will start of this by saying the negatives, which their are few of. The story can at times be a bit off-putting, or even confusing if your not giving full attention. Especially the end which I personally liked alot, but It is a bit odd what happened, and I can see it not making alot of sense for people. The acting is mostly solid but there's a couple actors in here which aren't the best, mainly John Lithgow which he does fine but not good, a few of the side characters, and child actors (though ofc it's not their fault). The shots can occasionally be odd, in how some shots feel too far away to how I think it should be, even though mostly the cinematography is solid.

Only the positives. The music in this film is not only brilliant on its own, it is so well put into the film to fit however it's supposed to be used; much more elegant ways then most films. The music is probably my favorite movie soundtrack at the moment too. The cinematography is great at almost all times, the shots on the sides of the ship I think are really cool, alot of shots spin with them, there was a shot that was intentionally blurry in here to fit the mood, and the camera shakes when it's appropriate and is usually still when not. As well I feel the more intense shots are done wonderfully, following very well if needed. Acting performance from Matthew McConaughey I think might be his best performance, which says alot, as well the performance from Anne Hathaway is really great here, and some of her best work. And this is definitely Jessica Chastains best work I've seen. Matt Damon as usual does excellent. And Michael Caine also does pretty alright, even though he feels pretty emotionless for alot of the movie, but also kinda mysterious, which can fit that character. John Lithgow does fine, good for him though, and I like how he did, just not too great. And I could name all the actors but really for the most part they are all good.

The sets on this film and effects are top notch. I've heard a lot of the space scenes; namely the one coming out of the wormhole took up to 100 hours to render each frame which definitely shows. The space shots are beautifully detailed, and the sets on earth are great because they actually grew a cornfield.

The story of this film is also great, and is executed very well. It's told like alot of Nolan movies though (memento, Dunkirk) where mysteries are introduced throughout, and explained later, and the story is kinda told in reverse to traditional stories. But the story makes perfect sense, up until the very end which I think does, but is debatable. And feels really smart, and scientific. Using actual science to explain alot of this stuff, and properly doing so.

I love all the little details they added here too, like every tick on millers planet was one day, that kinda stuff is really cool, doesn't make it much better but just interesting. Which this movie has tons of!

Over all I feel it's a 9.2

Spoiler portion real quick for this end

People don't like the end but it feels very right to me, it makes sense in the plot, and is explained fine, but definitely seems a bit unlikely. But feels like a good ending, everything is wrapped up nicely with a bow, and not in a all good way, but just a very nice ending. Not all is made up for at the end either. He's still missed atleast 80 years on earth. While it failed. But my only problem with it is how did they colonize so fast? Still a good ending, and I also like where they imply goes with brands story but never shown.

Sausage Party (2016)

Worst film ever

[1/10 · 30 August 2020]

This film made me not laugh the rest of the day thats how unfunny this is a couple of the ideas are kinda funny but it is not preformed well at all this isn't even stupid funny like adult swim shows or other obsurd comedies I cannot see the appeal for anyone to like this film Its not even so bad its good it just stinks I know comedy is subjective but this is objective unfunny it is painful to watch and has little redeeming quality and it even has decent animation but that's the only good thing about the film the people who made it where all high while writing it. This tries to be like a adult swin show or something but atleast adult swim shows are atleast funny sometimes a lot of them are very funny but this is garbage I hate it and I cannot understand how anyone could like this film I would rather die the most painful death than watch this film again