barbapapa-2 Reviews

Psycho (1960)

Nothing less than a perfect 10/10

[10/10 · 27 November 2023]

Psycho is a masterpiece of suspense and horror that has stood the test of time. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, the film tells the story of Marion Crane, a young woman who steals money from her employer and ends up at the Bates Motel, run by the mysterious Norman Bates.

The movie is a perfect example of Hitchcock's mastery of the craft. The film's screenplay, written by Joseph Stefano, is a work of art, filled with twists and turns that keep the audience guessing until the very end. The movie's score, composed by Bernard Herrmann, is also a standout, adding to the film's suspense and tension. Pay particular attention to the film's use of colour and light - although black and white, you'll notice things like Marion wearing white vs. Black at times, which I won't get into for fear of spoilers, and shadows galore.

The movie's cast is also excellent. Janet Leigh delivers a standout performance as Marion Crane, while Anthony Perkins is unforgettable as Norman Bates. Un. For. Gettable. The film's supporting cast, including Vera Miles and John Gavin, is also excellent.

Overall, Psycho is a movie that is not to be missed. The film's clever screenplay, excellent direction, and outstanding cast make it a must-see movie. I highly recommend it!

Tapped Out (2014)

Another Ungar/Hackman hack job

[1/10 · 27 November 2023]

After watching - and despising - 2015's Gridlocked, which brought director Allan Ungar and wannabe C-lister Cody Hackman together *again*, I thought I'd give them a second chance and watch their previous work together to see if Gridlocked was just a cinematic misstep or if they were genuinely a terrible combination.

Unfortunately or the moviegoing public, it is the latter.

Tapped Out is a movie that fails to deliver on its promise. The film follows the story of Michael Shaw, a former martial arts prodigy who seeks revenge against the man who killed his parents. The movie is a perfect example of a poorly executed action-drama.

The film's screenplay is riddled with cliches and predictable plot twists. The movie's director, Allan Ungar, has done a poor job of bringing the story to life on the big screen. The film's cast is also subpar, with Cody Hackman delivering a particularly weak performance as Michael Shaw.

The movie's fight scenes are poorly choreographed and lack any real excitement. The film's climax is also underwhelming and fails to deliver the emotional payoff that the audience deserves.

Overall, Tapped Out is a movie that is not worth your time. The film's cliched screenplay, poor direction, and weak performances make it a forgettable experience. I would not recommend it to anyone. Actually, yes, I would recommend it to Cody Hackman and Allan Ungar - if they force this garbage onto others, they should at least have to suffer through it themselves! Please, please, Cody Hackman - for the love of all things holy, stop doing this to us. I used to love cinema until I saw this effluent you call a film, now I think I'm going back to books until my stomach settles.

M3GAN (2022)

So much better than I expected

[9/10 · 27 November 2023]

I went into this hoping for a schlocky bit of scary fun, thinking that it was somehow a 2020s update of Child's Play. Wow, was I wrong. It was slick and stylish! The movie was just fun from beginning to end.

The film follows the story of a four-foot-tall cyborg named M3gan, who is fiercely protective of her nine-year-old girl, Cady. The movie is a perfect blend of horror and comedy, with a screenplay that is both witty and clever.

The film's writer, Akela Cooper, has done an excellent job of creating a story that is both engaging and entertaining. The film's director, James Wan, has also done an excellent job of bringing the story to life.

The movie's cast is also outstanding. Allison Williams delivers a standout performance as Gemma, Cady's aunt and legal guardian. Violet McGraw is also excellent as Cady, delivering a performance that is both charming and endearing.

Overall, M3gan is a movie that is sure to please horror fans and casual moviegoers alike. The film's clever screenplay, excellent direction, and outstanding cast make it a must-see movie. I highly recommend it!

Gridlocked (2015)

Cody Hackman is box office poison

[1/10 · 2 November 2023]

This movie has some entertaining bits, but everything is brought down by the atrocious "acting" of Cody Hackman. Every time he was onscreen, he just sucked the air out of the film. OK, so back to the good bits. It's a B movie with some heavy action scenes. You want bullets? You've got bullets, and a boatload at that. One could consider it overkill, but who can complain if an action movie has too much action? A lot of it is really impressive considering its obviously low budget. I'd give the movie itself a 5, but when one of the main characters is so absolutely terrible, the movie suffers - and in this case, it's just too much. If only it didn't have probably the worst, most talentless acting school dropout I have ever seen in my life, the movie could be watchable. If only.

Whoever did the casting dropped the ball BIG TIME. Purcell was a decent choice, but I just can't forgive anybody who puts the Hack onscreen.

Heartbeat (1992–2010)

I can't stop watching this!

[10/10 · 28 June 2011]

I can't believe I just heard about this show (right after it got cancelled!). It's the perfect show to just put on and relax - it's entertaining, light (with some exceptions, such as the episode in season 16 or 17 which includes a few moments of domestic violence), funny, and has a cast full of great characters.

The show began with a focus on the star role, a police officer. As time went by, the show evolved to become less a story about him than a number of stories about the various people in the town (and how they interact with one another). All of the characters are played well by the actors and are all believable - including the characters who are included as pure comedy relief. Even when a police officer leaves town (and, therefore, the show itself), a new one comes in and is instantly likable.

The stories are generally simple, such as the search for a missing watch (this was the episode which included the family violence). The story is rarely predictable, though, and even when it is, it's fun to watch the characters develop the storyline.

It's so easy to watch, I'll go through three or four a night sometimes - it's just like eating candy. I highly recommend this show to others. It's easily the most "watchable" show that I've ever seen on TV; just put it on, sit back and enjoy.

Thor (2011)

A very good comic book translation

[8/10 · 28 June 2011]

After suffering through a slew of generally horrible superhero movies (the old 1992 version of Captain America, Superman 4 and whichever one had Richard Pryor in it, Catwoman, Elektra, the so-bad-they're-great Lou Ferrigno Incredible Hulk movies, etc), we're finally getting some great superhero flicks! I was very worried that Thor, a favorite of mine since I was a kid, would be ripped from my childhood memories and slaughtered before my eyes - this happened twice before, with Transformers and G.I. Joe - but the end result was quite good. Thor is no Lawrence of Arabia or Doctor Zhivago. It won't be remembered in 30 years as an epic that changed movie history. However, for a guy who was just hoping for a fun flick that made me forget about real life for a couple hours, Thor really came through.

The action and effects were tremendous. I am not at all a fan of 3D (it's more distracting than anything, especially when things are up close), but I didn't let that affect my rating.

The acting won't win any awards, but all of the actors were believable. I really felt that this was the Thor from the comic books. I wasn't too sure about the comedy bits (you've seen the taser bit from the commercials, I'm sure), but after seeing the movie as a whole, it turns out that these funny parts were actually quite memorable.

In all, Thor is right up there with the Iron Man movies (mindless entertainment that is true to the comic series) and is a perfect lead-up to the Avengers movie.

Pathfinders: In the Company of Strangers (2011)

I really wish that this movie was better!

[2/10 · 26 June 2011]

As a huge fan of Band of Brothers, I was extremely excited to see this movie. I really feel bad about giving out such a low review, but I just had to let out some of the disappointment I'm feeling.

The pros: - great theme, interesting period of history (which will never get old for making great movies!) - excellent poster - impressively large cast - one of the actresses was quite striking and should have a good acting future ahead of her

The cons: - seemingly constant use of close-ups - very poor voice acting (with exceptions of two or three noticeably talented people in the cast) - I feel bad saying this, but after a while, I completely lost the feeling of immersion and was aware that I was watching a shoddy movie - I actually caught myself trying to find digital watches on guys' wrists! - reading lines? It seemed that some of the actors didn't memorize their lines and were reading them off of a prompter

I wouldn't feel right rating this movie any higher than 2 out of 10, especially considering that 5 would mean that it's average. It's *far* worse than the average movie. The great historical theme on its own gets the movie a couple stars, however.

I would love to see this movie get a re-write and new director - even if the budget is low, some improved acting and a decent director could make for a great WW2 D-Day movie.

Sharp as Marbles (2008)

Surprisingly good

[7/10 · 11 March 2008]

I almost turned the movie off during the first few seconds because it's immediately noticeable that the movie has a pretty low budget (most low budget comedies out there suffer where it hurts most - the writing). There was something about the actor (George) that made me want to keep watching, though; he's an extremely funny guy who really "sells" the annoying/moronic/love-him-or-hate-him kind of character! There are some really hilarious bits in this movie. The writers did a fantastic job, as do the actors. It should be mentioned that the acting won't win any Oscars, but it fits with the style of the movie. They don't take themselves too seriously, but they always stay in character, so it really works.

This movie was featured on the front pages of some prominent torrent sites, which will actually help the guys behind the movie (writers, director, actors) get noticed in the future. They might not make quite as much cash as they would have due to a few lost sales, but the marketing got a huge free push.

I rated the movie a 7 out of 10. This figure is relative, though, to the style and budget of the movie. It was actually quite a bit funnier and interesting to watch than some of the comedies with popular comedians. I can't wait to see more from this bunch.