xscd Reviews

The Expanse (2015–2022)

Excellent Series

[9/10 · 21 March 2020]

So much more than "cowboys in space," The Expanse begins a little chaotically and confusingly, introducing so many elements at the beginning that I was offput after the second episode of season one and set it aside. Some months later I began to rewatch it, and after that somewhat rough start, it found its footing and moved forward at an exciting and very engaging pace.

Acting, writing, directing and detailed, high-resolution effects in this entire series are superb. I agree with some other reviewers that this series is likely to be a long-remembered pleasure, a "cult" series with many fans.

So glad that Amazon Studios brought it back to life and generously financed a fourth season; waiting for a fifth and more.

Jack Ryan (2018–2023)

Engaging action thriller

[9/10 · 3 September 2018]

I really enjoyed the entire season one of Jack Ryan and in my opinion it has a good story, good writing, good direction and good acting.

There seems to be a lot of disappointed or angry reviewers who seem to represent two primary points of view: those who believe the series has too great a "leftist" influence (it didn't seem that way to me), and devoted fans of Tom Clancy's books whose opinion is that the video series falls short of the quality of Tom Clancy's stories, characters and the tone of his writing.

If viewed without too strong an ideological or political bias, and judged on its own merits without comparing the series to too great a degree with the books and their characters, comparing it to other international-thriller or adventure movies instead, I think this series compares very admirably to other well-liked movies of the genre.

The Revival (2017)

Effective but difficult to view

[5/10 · 4 August 2018]

This movie focuses upon people who abandon their humanity for the sake of their religion, and how hurtful and cruel they can become under the influence of their religious beliefs. As another reviewer mentioned, it's an indictment against religion, not against homosexuality. The most moral person in the movie is the homeless, homosexual drifter.

Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

What a Great Mediocre Movie!

[5/10 · 11 April 2018]

This movie shows what can happen when you "do everything right."

Great cast and acting, impressive sets, costumes and period details, very good cinematography, for the most part solid screenwriting and very good direction.

+10 stars for all of that, and Hercule Poirot's (Kenneth Branagh's) amazing, can't-look-away-from mustache!

-5 stars for a dated and contrived story, for stilted, pretentious dialogue, for seeming small and dull in spite of exotic locations and setting, and for the overpowering, compellingly distracting, scene-hogging, more-screen-time than anything else and often in nearly fill-the-screen closeup, bizarre and completely outlandish mustache of the main character, Hercule Poirot. It's hard to even pay attention to what the characters are saying, how the plot is developing, or other details of the scene when that face-rat is on screen.

However, the primary failing is simply that even great talent and generous resources cannot always produce great movies. But hey, it's just mediocre, not horrendous on the scale of the 60s epically-over-the-top and scandalously-expensive mega-flop Cleopatra, starring none other than mega-stars Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Rex Harrison.

So, kudos for that!

Your Name. (2016)

Heart, Soul, Beauty and Art

[23 February 2018]

What a great movie, story and moving art. I didn't think that any other effort could rise to the same level as the magnificent legacy of Hayao Miyazaki, but this movie manages to follow in his eminent footsteps.

The story is simple yet with many complex and fascinating details, told with so much spirit and humanity, and with such beautiful, evocative and emotionally moving art that it is easy to become entirely caught up in it and cherish it, with a gratitude toward all of the wonderful artists and others who produced this very fine work.

Highly recommended.

In-Lawfully Yours (2016)

Religious Tract Masquerading as a Romantic Comedy

[4/10 · 10 December 2017]

As a disclaimer, I did not watch the entire movie. As soon as the ever-present Christian religious subtext became too strident, I stopped watching.

The movie is not horrible, and is cute in a way, admirably acted and adequately directed. And the basic aspects of the story are OK. But unless you are a Christian or can overlook the religious references, you may wish to look elsewhere for your entertainment and inspiration.

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

Great Movie, Universal Themes, Heart and Soul

[10/10 · 25 October 2017]

Ignore the many 1-star reviews from adolescent game-boys who thrive on virtual mass violence and destruction. Anyone else would quickly find a similar endless succession of battle scenes pointless, tedious and extremely boring.

For those of us who like a great movie, and who like to have our minds and emotions engaged while watching, War for the Planet of the Apes supplies a complex and detailed story with plenty of everything that makes us love the experience, including great work behind the scenes (the CGI is amazingly realistic and the visuals very lush and detailed), as well as behind the camera and in front of the camera.

War for the Planet of the Apes is a very satisfying movie. Highly recommended for everyone (except 3D-war-and-action game addicted kids, teens and teens who never grew up).

Manchester by the Sea (2016)

My Gosh, What an Awful Movie

[3/10 · 23 March 2017]

Casey Affleck is a very good actor, but this miserable movie could not be saved by anything including the cast's best efforts.

Judging from the many glowing 8-10 star reviews of this movie, I can only conclude that when faced with a movie that has virtually nothing to recommend it, some critics must feel obligated to exert a great deal of effort and to find something in the movie or about the movie that not only redeems it, but elevates it to an "Emeror's New Clothes" type of praiseworthy status. I'll bet that this movie fades into a well-deserved obscurity faster than yesterday's prizewinning hotcakes.

Awful, boring, pointless, tedious, frustrating, empty, a waste of time and of the efforts of the movies creators.

The Boy and the Beast (2015)

Heart and Soul, a Great Story that Transcends Culture

[10/10 · 29 August 2016]

This movie from Mamoru Hosoda continues the great tradition of extremely impressive Japanese animation evident in the exemplary work of Hayao Miyazaki and others. The story is full, complex, entertaining and engaging. The characters are well-developed and interesting. The English-language dubbing cast did a very nice and credible job with the dialog and the emotional content of the movie.

Mamoru Hosada has an artistic style full of contrast and energy, very different from that of Hayao Miyazaki but impressive in its own way.

The themes in the movie are universal: the darkness that can be present within us and how we can transcend it, the love and support offered by and between both people we can feel comfortable with, and those we learn to understand and appreciate despite differences (and sometimes, despite similarities). The movie, at almost 2 hours, does not feel abbreviated but instead adequately explores and presents all of its major themes and plot elements.

Highly recommended.

Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

Another Great Hit from Laika

[10/10 · 20 August 2016]

The animation in this movie alone warrants a 10/10. It is stunning. The story is a wonderful, timeless story of love, sacrifice and adventure told with mystery, warmth and a considerable amount of humor.

Kubo, a boy from whom one eye was taken when he was young, must pit himself against a cold and heartless immortal, the Moon God, and his two equally cold and cruel daughters, after a quest for several pieces of magical armor. Kubo, his monkey charm come to life, and a beetle samurai with almost no memory, are the three main characters who experience the adventure together and who learn about each other as the audience learns about them.

Highly recommended, from the same great studio (Laika) that created Coraline, ParaNorman and Box Trolls, this fourth meticulously and beautifully stop-animated movie continues their growing reputation and tradition of excellence.

Fortitude (2015–2018)

Not Too Good; Not Too Bad

[5/10 · 28 May 2016]

I watched all twelve episodes of the first season of Fortitude.

The series seemed to have much promise: set in an unusual and interesting location, with an intriguing initial mystery, some good actors (especially Stanley Tucci, in my opinion), and a wide open plot and collection of characters that begged for interesting character and plot development.

However, as the series continued, certain things became disappointing, annoying, and often didn't make the best of sense. I will bet that most of Fortitude's viewers could or did imagine some better plot points than those actually present in the series, and realized some particular aspects of the plot lines or actions that did not seem realistic or convincing.

The actors did the best they could with the lines they were given, but the writing was not of a particularly high quality, and was sometimes a little embarrassing to see and hear. Richard Dormer, the actor that played the character of the town police chief Dan Anderssen, sometimes extended his dramatic pauses to uncomfortable and unrealistic lengths before reacting or delivering his lines.

The story was interesting, but was slow, changed character rather awkwardly from one genre to another, and was doubtful or questionable to the extent that a viewer's "suspension of disbelief" is likely to be interrupted from time to time, as mine was.

The series is certainly not awful: it does have some good points and some interesting characters and character development. If one is a little bored, the entire first season on DVD might make for some reasonably entertaining binge watching.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Better and more entertaining than the previous Spider-Man Movies

[9/10 · 11 September 2014]

One of the harshest critics of this movie said that "nearly everything exists only to advance the plot." I found myself wondering what he thinks should have filled that time instead. The movie did cover a lot of territory, so it was necessary to spend less time on some things than others in order not to be overly long.

I found this movie immensely entertaining and often truly humorous, especially Peter Parker's dialog which was in my opinion very well written and well acted.

I feel that only the most jaded and demanding of critics would be hard on this movie, and only because virtually nothing would be good enough for their personal standards of perfection. For everyone else, this is a very good movie, my favorite so far of the Spider-Man movies.

Veronica Mars (2014)

Low Budget, No Special Effects, Very Good Movie

[8/10 · 30 July 2014]

This is a fairly low budget movie with no special effects, so it must rely on other things like a good and engaging story, interesting and well-drawn characters, well-written dialog, good camera work and editing, and good acting.

This movie has all of those things, which made it more enjoyable to me than many Hollywood blockbusters in which something blows up every several minutes but everything else about the movie functions as a sleep aid.

Veronica Mars looks like a movie made by people who are talented, capable and who care about making a good movie. I enjoyed it very much.

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (2014)

One of the Best Science Shows

[10/10 · 25 June 2014]

We don't have satellite or cable TV, so we watched the over-the-air broadcasts of Cosmos, and were fascinated by them despite the low resolution, static on the TV image and so many commercials. I was anxious to see the entire series again so I ordered the Blu-Ray version of the series and have greatly enjoyed seeing the series again in crisp and beautiful high resolution.

It seems that the relatively small ratio of people who give this series very low ratings have one or more of just several objections: they don't believe that the Earth is as old as it is, for religious reasons; they object to the scientific material and assessment of the carbon dioxide we're adding to the atmosphere and its implications for the global warming we're experiencing, for ideological (almost religious) reasons; and an objection to the "theory" of evolution, for religious reasons.

I have a couple questions for the religious people who believe that the Earth is only 6-10 thousand years old-- How did Noah and his family collect and place on the ark the many tiny or microscopic animals on Earth at that time, all the insects, the tiny tardigrades, all the bacteria and other microscopic organisms? And since the flood covered the world and must have killed all the land plants from both submersion and the poisonous effects of the dissolved salts in ocean water, and since plants weren't included in the species to be saved by the ark, why do we have the vast diversity of plants that exist today? Did they all evolve after Noah and the Flood? Cosmos is an extremely good series that accomplishes the astonishing feat of being appealing and fascinatingly educational to both adults and children. It is a great asset to us as a society. Thank you to everyone involved in its production.

Hawaii (I) (2013)

Beautiful, Understated but Powerful Gay-Themed film

[8/10 · 7 May 2014]

¡Qué buena película! Although it's very slow and the "music" is a little distracting at times, especially during the extended beginning sequence, this is an excellent Spanish-language gay-themed movie from Argentina.

The camera and director linger on small details and gestures, and create a very credible atmosphere and true tension and drama despite very little dialog.

I enjoyed this movie so much that I almost immediately watched it again. Perhaps not for those who prefer fast-paced action movies, I found this movie to be very engaging, interesting and fulfilling.

Highly recommended.

Dream Boy (2008)

Very Nice Movie Spoiled by Overbearing Music Soundtrack

[6/10 · 15 September 2013]

I enjoyed the atmospheric, thoughtful and sensitive slow pace of this movie, but the dialog in important parts, and especially during the climax, was drowned out by some of the worst, most inappropriate, extremely annoying, repetitive, cloying and very loud music I've ever heard in a movie soundtrack.

The dialog volume should have been turned up and the music _way_ down in this movie, and absent altogether in parts where the dialog was of utmost importance for revealing the plot. As it was, there were parts in which I could only guess what was being murmured because the music was deafening by comparison. I almost stopped watching this movie, despite liking the story and characters, specifically because of the awful "background" music that was much too often in the close foreground. Extremely poor choices regarding the music. Everything else was fine.

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

An Old Star Trek Fan

[9/10 · 6 September 2013]

I watched the original Star Trek TV series, starting from episode 1 of the first season, when I was a boy. I've loved Star Trek in its various incarnations ever since, including these two recent movies by J.J. Abrams, who seems to have a soft spot for the original Star Trek and pays homage to it in numerous ways in both of his Star Trek movies so far.

This is a very good, very entertaining and interesting movie just on its own, and it seems to me that those who are giving it horrible (1 and 2 star) reviews might likely be Star Trek purists and perfectionists who have reduced Star Trek to a static universe that never even existed in the original TV series.

For example, why don't any of these Star Trek purists complain about the portrayal of the Klingons in this latest movie and in so many Star Trek movies and series before it, because the Klingons in the original low-budget TV series looked, dressed, acted and spoke like Earth humans, for example in the famous episode "The Trouble with Tribbles."

I think that J.J. Abrams pays a tremendous amount of respect to Gene Roddenberry's original concept and realization, while allowing his own creativity to enhance the characters and plot lines typical of the original.

Good job. Great movie.

A Warm Wind (2011)

Good movie but conservative political tract

[6/10 · 15 April 2013]

This movie is slow but atmospheric, allowing the viewer to think with the subjects of the story. I enjoy movies that suck one in with atmosphere instead of hitting one over the head with too-much action.

However, this movie turns into a rather heavy-handed promotional tract for a typical American conservative ideology and point of view, and as such, I ultimately found it off-putting. The writers seem to have very little grasp of or insight into the ideological point of view that this movie denigrates.

The movie is enjoyable, it has a couple gay characters (refreshing to see in a movie that promotes "the conservative lifestyle") and has some genuine human warmth, wrapped around a slightly xenophobic and ideological bitterness on the part of the writers.

I ended up feeling like the movie sucked me in, only to hit me over the head with preachy conservative doctrine once I was absorbed and my mind was open. I typically resent to some degree when that happens, and this movie, while I wanted to like it better, is no exception.

An American Carol (2008)

Ain't those liberals just too funny?!

[1/10 · 10 January 2009]

Liberals are so incomprehensibly misguided and frustrating that you just have to shake your head in astonished disbelief and laugh. Or so this movie asserts.

An American Carol is a bait-and-switch scam: it promises light entertainment but delivers a heavy-handed sucker punch of sobering "reality," if reality is defined as a particular world-view and value set shared by political and social conservatives. Any character to the left of far right in this "comedy" is depicted as a ridiculous (but not funny) two-dimensional stereotype.

Conservatives may enjoy this paean to their particular ideology, but such a heavy cloud of seriousness and pushy message-delivery (Patriotism equals support for military activity, for example) hangs over this movie that as a "comedy" it falls flat.

Leolo (1992)

Self-indulgently Grotesque

[3/10 · 26 June 2007]

Be forewarned that there is a shocking scene late in the movie in which a live cat is abused "for the sake of"--art, the film, the story, whatever.

I patiently watched the movie up to the cat scene, appreciating some of the interesting approach to storytelling and some of the beautifully shot imagery. I kept hoping for some creative resolution or development in the story, but the movie seemed to slowly degenerate instead into a series of self-indulgent and unnecessarily destructive scenes and sub-plots. By the time the cat scene appeared I was already pretty fed up with the "I'm wallowing in filth and I want you to wallow in it with me" approach the director seemed to take (with a beautiful, poetic gloss to lure the viewer into this bait-and-switch movie), so it was an easy decision to turn the DVD off at that point with no regrets other than to wish the director had not felt it necessary to abuse a live animal and film the animal's obvious pain and panic for the sake of the enjoyment? titillation? of a human audience.

Although I can't dispute the movie creator's talent (I feel he should get 8-9 stars for creative talent, 2-3 stars for abusing that talent), I was very disappointed with this go-nowhere, self-indulgently grotesque movie.