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In the Tall Grass (2019)
Strong Start, Feeble Finish
Strong Start, Feeble Finish
The setup was fine. No problem. A field of tall grass contains supernatural horrors. The atmosphere was suitably creepy.
I heard myself muttering "Don't go in there damn it! Let whoever is in there come out."
But somewhere in the middle the usually masterful King, the genius responsible for Dolores Claiborne and Misery, lost the plot.
What was the black rock all about? Why were people dying then coming back to life? What was the motive of the man who lured others in?
In the Tall Grass commits the same mistakes as the TV series "Lost".
The Mangler (1995)
Grossly Misunderstood, Consequently Grossly Underrated
The Mangler is grossly underrated because it has been grossly misunderstood by viewers unfamiliar with the occult political elite, aka the Illuminati.
The film is an oblique expose of the Illuminati. Whether one believes that the Illuminati exist is beside the point. The film takes its existence as given and goes from there.
It does the same thing that the X-Files did regarding all manner of Urban Legends.
Familiarize yourself with Illuminati lore and The mangler will make a whole lot more sense story-wise.
L'intervention (2019)
7 for entertainment value, 1 for political premise
7 for entertainment value, 1 for political premise
15 Minutes of War reminds me of a couple of other war films with similar titles, namely 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, and 12 Strong.
Like these films and some others, such as Olympus Has Fallen, or Munich, the film is undeniably entertaining, but simultaneously politically reprehensible for lionizing colonialist/imperialists and caricaturing their victims.
The Meg (2018)
A Real Disappointment
A real disappointment.
I was hoping for something as good as "The Shallows", a real gem of a shark genre movie made on a relatively modest 17 million dollar budget, but which punched way above its weight, primarily because it had a great script.
"The Meg" was exactly the opposite of "The Shallows". It was piece of hack work made with an extravagant 130 million dollar budget, but which punched way below its weight, primarily because it had a crappy script.
If that wasn't bad enough, it was also yet another racist WMAF themed put down of Asian men, i.e., the far from subtle demonization of the Li Bingbing character's Chinese ex husband.
Did the Chinese money men behind this production even bother to read the racism tinged script?
I, Tonya (2017)
I, Tonya belatedly grants the demonized Harding some small measure of justice
Being old enough to remember how the mainstream print and electronic media spun the Harding Kerrigan incident when it happened, I'm gratified to say that "I, Tonya" has finally granted the demonized Harding some small measure of justice.
Back then the MSM presstitutes plugged Harding and Kerrigan into a simplistic "trailer trash villain vs American sweetheart heroine" mold, and pretty much everyone bought it, myself included.
But thanks to the makers of "I, Tonya", many of us now have a far more nuanced understanding of the two Olympic competitors, and most importantly of how unfairly Harding was treated by "polite society" and the "just us system".
Rogue One (2016)
Rogue One: The Emotional Equal of The Empire Strikes Back
Rogue One is the emotional equal of The Empire Strikes Back.
Anyone who knows anything about screenwriting knows, or ought to know, that the bottom line when attempting to judge whether a movie is good or bad, is "Were you moved by it emotionally?"
Depending on the genre of movie, the viewer will be moved to different emotions. But the viewer will be moved to the emotions intended by the writer and director. The emotion will not be bafflement resulting from confusion.
Rogue One puts the war in Star Wars. It is more of a war movie than a "space opera". The tone is unusually dark for a Star Wars movie. Think "Saving Private Ryan" or "Hacksaw Ridge" for example. It includes one of the most spectacular climactic battle sequences in recent memory.
Rogue One is the equal of the best Star Wars movie to date, The Empire Strikes Back. Perhaps even better. Rogue One spared none of the protagonists. It sacrificed every one of them to the rebellion. It is hard to put into words the pathos that evokes, which paradoxically makes Jyn Erso and her fellow rebels even more heroic and more unforgettable than major characters such as Leia Organa.
That some viewers have harshly panned the film utterly baffles me.
Cold Skin (2017)
Cold Skin: a Political Allegory akin to Avatar
Cold Skin is being compared to The Shape of Water, merely because of the mermaid/merman angle.
But actually it would be more appropriately classified as a political allegory, akin to James Cameron's Avatar.
The mermaids/mermen are akin to the Na'vi. The Ray Stevens character is akin to the Steven Lang character. The David Oakes character is akin to the Sam Worthington character.
The film's chief weakness is logic. Much of the behavior of the mermaids/mermen makes little sense. For example, why do they even need to come onto land?
The Shape of Water (2017)
An inferior gender reversed version of the 1984 film "Splash"
I'm surprised and no one seems to have realized this is a gender reversed version of the 1984 film "Splash", directed by Ron Howard, starring Tom Hanks in the rescuer role, and Daryl Hannah in the "merman" role.
Consider how similar the IMDB synopsis for "Splash" is to the plot of "The Shape of Water".
Synopsis
While on a boat at Cape Cod in 1964 with his family, Allen Bauer sees something in the water and dives in, much to the alarm of his family. Unknown to them, Allen has actually seen a little mermaid. However, no one else sees her as Allen is plucked from the water and returned to his parents, much to the sadness of the mermaid as she watches the boat leave.
20 years later, Allen (Tom Hanks) now runs his family's produce distribution business, as well as continues his boyish search to find true love. Along with his feelings, Allen must also contend with his lecherous but still caring brother Freddie (John Candy), who takes love a bit less seriously than his brother. Allen lives with his girlfriend but she breaks up with him over the phone, leaving Allen depressed and despondent.
After attending the wedding of a work associate (Bobby Di Cicco), Allen gets drunk and for some reason, decides to go to Cape Cod while his brother runs off to Rio de Janeiro with two attractive single women. Arriving at the Cape, Allen comes across a short-tempered scientist named Cornbluth (Eugene Levy), who is there to search for mermaids in the waters off the town (unknown to his two bumbling crewmembers, or Allen).
Allen charters a small motorboat to get to a nearby island, but a mishap sends him over the side. After almost drowning, Allen finds himself on land with a beautiful naked blonde woman (Daryl Hannah), who quickly disappears back into the water (once in the water, her legs become fins, unseen to Allen). Allen pleads to know who she is, but she does not respond.
In the water, the mermaid finds Allen's wallet, and swims away, but not before having a chance encounter with Cornbluth. After swimming away, she goes to a sunken ship, and using the information in his wallet and some old maps in the sunken ship, finds out where Allen lives.
A couple days later, Allen returns to New York, and on the same day, the mermaid shows up naked at the Statue of Liberty, with Allen's wallet. Allen receives a call from the NYPD, and heads to the station where the girl is being held. After she is released into his custody, Allen takes her to his apartment.
The next day, Allen shows up for work happier than usual, much to the shock of Freddie, to whom Allen decides to give more of the responsibility of the family business. Upon returning home later in the day, Allen is shocked to find the woman is missing. The doorman claims she got in a cab going to Bloomingdale's, and Allen heads there immediately. He finds her there with a whole new wardrobe, and also finds that she is now able to talk. When Allen asks how, she explains that it was by watching television in the store's electronics department. As they walk home, Allen tries to ask her where she's from, but she is scant on details, only to say that she can only stay for 6 days, before the moon is full. When asking her for a name, the concept seems foreign to the woman. As he notes that they are approaching "Madison Ave," the woman decides she likes this name, and so Allen decides to call her Madison.
Allen then spends the next couple days away from work getting to know Madison. One evening, he hears her in the bathroom with the door locked, and the water running. When he asks to be let in, she panics and demands that he wait. Allen instead grows worried when he hears a strange thump on the floor (Madison's legs had transformed in the water and she'd flopped out of the tub), and knocks in the door, finding Madison wrapped in a towel on the floor, claiming she didn't want to let him in because she was "shy."
The next evening, Allen gets Madison a gift, and takes her out for a walk. When the come across a fountain with a mermaid on it, Allen recounts how it reminds him of something, but can't recall just what. Allen also notes that they are planning to remove the fountain and build condo's in the area, which Madison finds sad, thinking the fountain is beautiful.
Freddie then informs Allen that he has managed to get tickets to an dinner event that the President of the United States will attend. Allen is impressed, but asks if he can take Madison instead of Freddie along. Freddie playfully teases his brother that he's in love, but Allen insists he's not. Allen goes on to explain that he just isn't sure, and that something just seems strange when it comes to Madison, noting the incident with the TV's as well as the bathroom.
Meanwhile, Madison's appearance at the Statue of Liberty has made it into a local tabloid. Cornbluth sees the story, and informs his colleagues in New York. However, one of his colleagues named Dr Ross finds Cornbluth's mermaid theory to be ridiculous. Cornbluth is sure that when she is not in the water, the mermaid's fins become legs on dry land. He then sets out across New York attempting to find Madison and throw water on her. In his attempts, Cornbluth ends up offending the same couple twice and is beaten up.
As the days tick away before Madison leaves, Allen attempts to ask her to marry him. However, she refuses Allen's offer, and he grows irritated at her, regarding how secretive she has been about where she comes from. Madison then runs away, and Allen attempts to find her, before returning to the produce center. Shortly after arriving, Madison returns, and this time decides to accept Allen's proposal.
Allen is eager to get married now, but decides to do so after the event with the President, planning to drive to Maryland to wed. During the dinner, Madison decides she'll tell Allen her big secret and he agrees to leave with her so they'll have privacy. However, as the two of them are leaving the event, Cornbluth sees Madison, and ends up spraying her with water, revealing her secret to Allen, and to a contingency of press.
Both Allen and Madison are taken to a secret location in the New York Natural History Museum, where Allen is also suspected of being part-fish. Allen and Madison are kept in isolation, but Madison is soon put into Allen's tank. She attempts to apologize for not revealing her secret, but Allen silently refuses to listen to her.
After it appears he is not of Madison's species, Allen is released, only to be mobbed by press outside his apartment. Freddie manages to get Allen out of there, and they return to the office at the family business. Allen is still upset that in his search for love, the one girl he fell madly in love with has turned out to be a fish. Freddie chastises Allen for his attitude, claiming that in the last few days, his brother has been happier than he's been in years and certainly happier than (Freddie) has ever been with a woman.
Cornbluth meanwhile, has been allowed to view Madison, but has not been allowed to voice opinions regarding her care and well-being. The scientist in charge of project, Dr Ross, explains his plan to see how Madison reacts to other marine life before his people dissect her. Cornbluth voices his dissension, but Ross just chides him along.
Now feeling miserable for what he has done, Cornbluth is surprised when he is found by Allen at the dentist. Allen has decided that he loves and wants to save Madison, and needs Cornbluth's help.
Along with Freddie, the three of them infiltrate the lab, and make off with Madison, leaving Freddie behind to distract them for a bit. Cornbluth and the two brothers impersonate Swedish biologists and are able to bluff their way past the half-Swedish guard when Freddie speaks his language having learned it from watching watching Swedish pornography.
Madison's escape is soon found out, and the military begins a chase through the Manhattan streets. Cornbluth at one point jumps out in an attempt to buy some time, but ends up almost being run over.
Finally, off a pier on the Hudson River, Madison and Allen say their farewells, with Madison explaining to Allen that he can come with her, but if he does, he cannot come back to land. It is also here that she finally reveals that she was the little girl he saw in the waters off Cape Cod, and Allen is overjoyed to know that it was all real.
As the military at first closes in, Allen has Madison swim off, but as he watches her leave, he dives in after her, though he is unable to swim. Just as when he was a boy, Madison rescues Allen, but soon, the two have to contend with divers trying to stop the two of them.
After a small skirmish, Madison grabs Allen's hand, and they swim away. Thanks to a kiss by her, Allen is now able to breathe underwater, and after some time swimming, they make their way to a distant underwater kingdom.
Inconceivable (2017)
Homage to "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle"
Chloe King and Jonathan Baker's 2017 thriller "Inconceivable" is a blast from the past. It harks back to Amanda Silver and Curtis Hanson's masterful 1992 thriller, "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle".
Even the casting is reminiscent of the earlier film. Nicky Whelan, the blonde "Nanny from Hell" in "Inconceivable" is at times the spitting image of the Rebecca De Mornay in THTRTC. Gina Gershon, the dark complexioned brunette, as the dutiful wife, likewise resembles Annabella Sciorra, her counterpart in the earlier film.
"Inconceivable" cannot compare with "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" of course. But on its own terms, it holds up reasonably well, especially in 2017, when so many films this year have been flat out unwatchable.
Wheelman (2017)
Deftly overcomes its self-imposed budget film-making constraints
Any filmmaker worth his salt knows that there are a number of techniques that enable one to complete a film on a shoestring budget. Unfortunately, the finished result is frequently not worth watching. Think "Blair Witch Project", with its tiresome found footage shtick.
They include setting the film in the here and now, so that period costumes are not required. They include the exclusive reliance on gritty location shoots, so that expensive film sets need not be built. They include limiting the number of characters, and therefore the number of cast members who must be paid.
Wheelman falls back on all the above and more to save money. All that is required is a few cars, a few guns, and a few darkly lit city streets. Fortunately, the film's clearly self-imposed budget film-making constraints do not undermine its emotional impact.
The result is a highly watchable film that takes us on a thrill ride, especially during the second half when the setups in the somewhat slow first half finally begin to pay off.
Critics may be tempted to compare "Wheelman" to Walter Hill's "The Driver", with Ryan O'Neal, Nicholas Winding Refn's "Drive", with Ryan Gosling, and Corey Yuen's "The Transporter", with Jason Statham. And it is, in terms of subject matter. But in terms of doing much with very little, "Wheelman" is actually more like Roberto Rodriguez's "El Mariachi". Like "El Mariachi", remaking "Wheelman" with a lavish budget would not necessarily improve it.
I especially appreciated the well-earned happy ending. Who says that gritty-looking films must end in tragedy?
Atomic Blonde (2017)
Salt was better than Atomic Blonde
Rating: 2 for the first half, 8 for the second half
I was puzzled by other reviews of this film. The reason several reviewers gave for their extremely positive or extremely negative ratings was the alleged feminism, lesbianism, and misandry.
Some films have indeed hit moviegoers over the head with Politically Correct SJW messages, making them every bit as unwatchable as the typical heavy-handed "Christian film". For me, "Atomic Blonde" did not fall into that category.
For me, the deal-breaker was the "my eyes glaze over" pace of the first half of the film. I almost gave up on watching the film to the end. Fortunately I persisted, and was rewarded with an above average, kick- ass second half.
I suspect the flashback structure of the film had something to do with it. One too many flashbacks killed any vestige of forward momentum.
The slightly lower rated 2010 spy thriller "Salt", which had a very similar plot/theme, was actually a better film from a story-telling craft perspective. It moved along nicely from beginning to end.
I wanted to like this film. Charlize Theron is one of my favorite actresses. Angelina Jolie is not. But "Salt" was actually the better film.
Tin Star (2017)
Deeply Disappointing David Lynch/Coen Brothers Knock-Off
Tin Star: A Deeply Disappointing David Lynch/Coen Brothers Knock-Off
To characterize "Tin Star" as "an homage to Twin Peaks and Fargo" would be to flatter it. "Tin Star" is heavy-handed, tone-deaf, and emotionally hollow.
The makers of "Tin Star" apparently convinced themselves that cut and paste Lynchian and Coenesque touches grafted onto an underwritten story outline would get them a green light and enable them to skate by.
Sorry, but it doesn't work that way. They obviously got the green light. The series is in production, after all. But it is equally obvious they aren't skating by, because the story simply isn't working. If that wasn't clear from episode 1, it should be crystal clear from episode 2.
Episode 2, as shot and edited, doesn't even pass muster as a rough cut. Assuming it was shot according to the script, then the script was not ready for prime time. Watch it and you'll see what I mean. Not one of the characters in the episode behaves in a manner that has any connection to human motivation.
I really wanted to like "Tin Star". I looked forward to watching it. I'm genuinely sorry that I can't.
Hard Target 2 (2016)
I wanted to like this movie, but the screenwriter wouldn't let me
I wanted to like this movie, and I did for the first half hour.
But when the hero left a bolt action hunting rifle, a survival knife, and a taser lying on the ground, and ran off empty handed, my reaction was "WTF!!!???" What in god's name made the screenwriter think he could get away with writing the scene like that?
If he wanted the hero to remain unarmed to make him more of an underdog, he should have had other hunters catch up to him too soon for him to retrieve the weapons. Bullets should have riddled the ground next to the dead hunter's weapons, forcing the hero to resume running unarmed.
The fact that the screenwriter couldn't even be bothered with such an important detail was an insult to the viewers' intelligence.
The Warrior's Way (2010)
Grossly under-appreciated film.
Grossly under-appreciated "Wu Xia meets Gunslinger" film.
The martial artist with a baby angle probably derived from the "Samurai Assassin" films.
But the "fish out of water" "Eastern martial artist in the Old West angle almost certainly derived from Bruce Lee's original concept for "Kung Fu."
Sad to see so many movie fans slam this film. It really wasn't as bad as many made it out to be.
In fact, it was quite good in many respects. The action sequences can hardly be faulted. The fight choreography was good as any, including "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" or "Hero."
The Warrior's Way (2010)
Grossly under-appreciated film.
Grossly under-appreciated "Wu Xia meets Gunslinger" film.
The martial artist with a baby angle probably derived from the "Samurai Assassin" films.
But the "fish out of water" "Eastern martial artist in the Old West angle almost certainly derived from Bruce Lee's original concept for "Kung Fu."
Sad to see so many movie fans slam this film. It really wasn't as bad as many made it out to be.
In fact, it was quite good in many respects. The action sequences can hardly be faulted. The fight choreography was good as any, including "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" or "Hero."
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Nolan/Bale Batman franchise -- what Batman should have been all along
The Chris Nolan/Christian Bale Batman trilogy is what the Batman films should have been all along.
The 1989 Tim Burton/Michael Keaton "Batman" and 1992 sequel "Batman Returns," the 1995 Joel Schumacher/Val Kilmer "Batman," the 1997 Schumacher/George Clooney "Batman and Robin," were smarmy, disrespectful mockeries of the entire Batman mythos. They were akin to the Roger Moore James Bond films, only worse. To this day I still wonder how they ever got green-lighted.
Only the three Chris Nolan/Christian Bale Batman films adopted the properly respectful attitude and conveyed the properly somber emotional tone.
The 2005 Nolan/Bale "Batman Begins" resembles the equally excellent 2006 Bryan Singer/Brandon Routh film "Superman Returns." Both reboots breathed new life into superhero franchises which had been left dead by writers and directors who showed little respect for the source material.
Sadly the Singer/Routh Superman franchise appears kaput despite critical and commercial success.
The rebooted Daniel Craig James Bond series has been doing the same thing for the James Bond franchise. It is treating the mythos with the respect it deserves.
One can only hope that future superhero franchises follow the positive examples set by Chris Nolan and Bryan Singer, rather than the negative examples set by Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher.
Primeval (2007)
Ranks up there with "Fringe" as one of the best SF TV series ever
Warning! Spoilers Ahead!
"Primeval" ranks up there with "Fringe" as one of the best time travel/alternate universe genre SF TV series ever made. Far, far better than paint by the numbers shows such as "Quantum Leap." I still can't believe however that the creators of the show killed off every one of their leading characters.
Killing off the adorable Claudia Brown by changing the time line was bad enough. Admittedly they reincarnated her, sort of, as Jenny Lewis. But then they wrote her out of the show too by having her resign.
Killing off the unflappable, too cool for school Stephen Hart and even the living, beating heart of the show Nick Cutter was just too much. That is no way to keep a franchise going.
I suppose the creators of the show should be given credit for their ruthlessness. The shockingly unexpected deaths of these beloved main characters leave holes in our hearts. They evoke the inner emptiness that accompanies the loss of a loved one.
But unless the actors wanted out for career reasons, killing their characters off was definitely a bad move.
Sabotage (1996)
Hidden gem
Surprisingly good action film. Far better than some big budget films that somehow made it into the theaters but should have gone straight to video.
Surprisingly upscale cast. Carrie Anne Moss of future Matrix fame. Also excellent veteran character actors such as Graham Greene.
Good sniper-themed films are few and far between. The original Day of the Jackal, Sniper, Shooter, Quigley Down Under, Enemy at the Gates. You can pretty much list them on the fingers of one hand.
Admittedly Sabotage makes a few technical gaffes regarding the nitty-gritty of how snipers operate. But if one is willing to overlook them, Sabotage is actually one of the better sniper-themed films around.
Lots of "gun porn" for firearms freaks. Lots of intrigue, double-crosses and triple-crosses for thriller fans. Satisfying conclusion. I disagree with those who say the ending was an anti-climax.
It even has some of the earliest uses of "bullet time." Judicious use too, used appropriately. Not overkill.
The Crossing (2000)
A nail-biting historical drama
Amazingly well written, produced, directed, and acted dramatization of the historic events depicted in the famous oil painting, "Washington Crossing the Delaware," by German American artist Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze.
How often can one honestly refer to a costume drama as a "nail biter" or "cliff hanger?" Yet "The Crossing" is just that. The tension is nearly unbearable at times. The film skillfully communicates the anxiety that Washington and his officers must have felt as the hours slipped by and the fate of a nation literally hung in the balance.
Perhaps most amazing of all, this film, a must see for every patriotic American, was written by Howard Fast, a card carrying member of the Communist Party of the USA. How's that for irony?