imdb2-5 Reviews

Two for the Money (2005)

Horrendous. Predictable. Not realistic

[3/10 · 8 October 2022]

This was a pretty stupid film from beginning to end. Like most people, I'm sure you got sucked in by the big names and actors that appear, which is the only reason why it's not a complete zero. Betting and gambling doesn't work the way it does in this film. This predictable tale of the rise and fall breaks all the odds and only happens in places like hollywood.

It has the audacity to also try to masquerade as if it's some sort of gamblers anonymous insight, which it isn't. Just saying that people have a gambling habit understates the nature of the issue and this film certainly minimizes it for the sake of its hollow story. Oh how touching it is. Not.

Under Suspicion (1991)

Great cast, terrible script

[4/10 · 30 September 2022]

What starts out promising ends up ludicrous. It's as if the writer wanted to come up with a really clever twist and then went to Hollywood to just fill in the rest. There was not a moment that anyone would believe what happens to our film's protagonist. Nor is it credible how the film continues from there, which is just an example of Hollywood done badly.

The last half hour was ridiculous. There's a reason this film typically panned by critics, except for a couple of reviewers here who are enamored of this farce. A marvelous double twist that has plot holes the size of Texas and the very ending which pretends as if everything provided thus far can somehow be disposed. Don't bother or skip to the end if you're streaming.

Total Recall (I) (2012)

Unnecessary remake done poorly

[4/10 · 31 July 2022]

Superb cast wasted for a film that didn't need to be remade and had a high bar to surpass given the classic original. The style, humor, and cleverness of the original is all gone. Someone thought adding better special effects would be enough, paying homage repeatedly to the original without much context. Unfortunately all of this ends up being much worse, because the clever subplots and situations are completely lost in this film, which is routine b-grade action with a big budget. The script feels completely synthetic and lacks credibility often. See the original and don't look at this trash.

Seaspiracy (2021)

Disturbing but unfocused, amateurish at times

[6/10 · 6 July 2022]

The topic is very disturbing and some of the footage is alarming. However, it is very unfocused and jumps from subject to subject without really nailing any particular subject and providing solid facts to support the claims. As a result, it loses its power in proving its point and it's like hearing a narrator talk about how disturbed they are for a couple of hours rather than having the audience come to that conclusion by the sheer strength of the argument.

Some very amateurish elements are the unexpected interviews, which are obviously turned down by anyone and everyone. Showing up at a corporation and asking representatives why they're polluting the ocean is going to get the exact response that you see on film.

You see heaps of trash and other horrendous images on film but there's no focus on what it is you're actually seeing at times, there just for shock value. You need to have captions of what you're seeing and solid coverage of each issue for it to really be impacting, convincing, and confirming a specific problem.

I really like the filmmakers enthusiasm and love for the subject. But it needs to be focused as there's too much coverage that needs to occur on individual subjects. To conclude that money is that the heart of overfishing and destroying our oceans is far too simple and obvious. Perhaps he has some good points on things like Coral reefs, etc. But just trying to summarize what may be a great deal of research without explaining it leaves a very superficial film. I truly applaud the effort but the next attempt should be about nailing a subject completely and allowing that to serve by itself as evidence to effectuate change. It was effective in my questioning those eco friendly logos. Sickening but not surprising. Not sure of the film also wants you to go vegan. Needs some solutions too.

Deep Water (I) (2022)

Excellent, darkly funny at times, suspenseful

[7/10 · 19 March 2022]

Very difficult to believe that there are so many negative reviews. This is a very dark burn and I think all the actors were terrific. Anyone who thinks Affleck slept through this film clearly didn't get the nature of his character. I'm not usually a fan of his but he played the part perfectly, as did Anna de Armas. Married life can be very complicated, and this certainly shows the sides to several relationships.

The challenge I had was in the final half hour, which didn't seem convincing. A fantastic film undermined by a contrived final act. Too much coincidence when there shouldn't have been any. Until that point, fantastic. Ultimate ending, also good.

Certainly recommended even if it loses some steam as it moves along.

Reacher (2022– )

OK start, very campy as moves along

[6/10 · 5 February 2022]

Starts ok, not too over the top and the actors are all OK. Dialogue a bit ridiculous as Reacher is somehow all knowing and his ability to see insights is absurd. Reasonably entertaining at first, then gets to lazy writing and loses tremendous steam at the end and becomes made for TV material. Perhaps a season 2 might be smoother and better writing. Very overrated here.

The Matrix Resurrections (I) (2021)

An insult to the viewer

[1/10 · 21 December 2021]

A good number of professional movie critics are not fully honest, fearful of burning bridges with those in the industry. But this time, a larger number have even had a hard time stomaching their disgust for this lazy, bloated, boring tribute to itself.

In a nutshell, this is what happens when a concept should have ended earlier, becomes a trilogy that should have nailes the coffin shut, and they decide they still want to cash in on an easy reboot of the same intellectual property they own. It's so convoluted that it must be explained to the viewer, in great detail, as if a board room pitch with the questions: So sis it all make sense? What do you think?

The answers are "no" and "sets a new low on useless sequels that at least could have been 100 minutes to minimize the waste of time." It's hard to go back to the original with a straight face after having seen this.

Stillwater (2021)

Woke nonsense ruins film

[3/10 · 12 September 2021]

Matt Damon plays a cold hick from Oklahoma. A large part of the film is very awkward. The connection of ice cold Damon with a dark-skinned French girl, who appears to be a far better actor than Damon, is not credible. She barely understands any English while Damon pours his heart out to her. But she understands one keyword to not her head and the bond forms.

For no explainable reason, a French woman who is considering helping him asks whether he voted for Trump. It had no purpose other than to denigrate Trump at the expense of this film. And to add insult, the white man has a criminal record so he didn't vote at all.

Moving further along, someone helping Damon on his quest discuss other people. Why? Because all he wants to do is put an Arab kid in jail. He doesn't care about justice.

Damon's character understands the point about racism and justice. But for some unexplainable reason, he mentions that only cares about is his daughter. So of course, the response from the French lady is that he sounds like all Americans.

This was a woke farce. It's disappointing because it could have been a good film. These activists must steamroll all over any audience and force them to admit that black people and Arabs and Muslims are the greatest victims on Earth. Each time the film promises to move forward in some direction, a stumbling block appears to remind us of just how much white supremacy exists and how detestable spoiled Americans are. And quite frankly, the supposed victim is so bratty that you're constantly hoping she stays in jail for the rest of her term.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

Bogart not so great, falls apart 2/3 through

[7/10 · 25 July 2021]

Bogart is often lauded as Mr Cool and one of the greatest actors of all time. Consistently I found him to be a hollow, angry, frustrated, self-indulgent ant not likeable caricature from the start. There was supposed to be a buildup and change of character in this film which you just don't get from Bogart. To me, it seems like the two other main players do a much better job of selling their characters. What started off good but predictable ends up feeling forced just past the midway point. And from there, it's Bogie enjoying his screen presence with a bit too much ham.

The Ice Road (2021)

Great Cast, Brainless filler

[3/10 · 25 June 2021]

This is a story dedicated to the truck drivers who drive huge heavy rigs on ice roads up north, a dangerous effort which often ends up in fatalities. Why would anyone engage in this as it seems foolish? Scenario created where an explosion in a mine traps people and they need generic supplies. In comes hard luck Neeson with his special set of skills. Big name cast uttering lines that feel completely scripted. It's about as exciting as driving an ice truck would be expected to be.

The Education of Fredrick Fitzell (2020)

Great start, edge of your seat middle, disastrous finale

[5/10 · 5 June 2021]

Mom is in the hospital, potentially brain dead. Our hero and his lovely young wife visit mom... but our hero is haunted with a memory from his past that he can't shake, so he investigates. As he goes down the rabbit hole it seems there is something much deeper to find which has been suppressed all these years. And just as if think a new reveal is about to happen.... it's 50 more minutes of video filters, scaryish collages, triple image effects, flashing lights, adding up to a whole lot of utter nothingness that doesn't even stop its metamorphasing until even the very last minute of the film. And boy does that non-ending turn into a non-tearjerking stinker.

There was a really good film begging to be unearthed. The performances are very good for what amounts to a whole lot of nothing. Nothing ventured. Nothing gained. Imagine a 2 hour movie that reflects a minute for minute wandering daydream of a drug addict where the sum of all its parts can just be your mind on drugs. No wonder this went straight to video. A waste of good efforts by the actors.

Coma (I) (2019)

Excellent visuals. Turn off your brain to enjoy

[5/10 · 4 April 2021]

Coma is a story about a man who "wakes up" in a strange world that is the cross between Inception and Dr. Strange and is a prisoner of his own Coma, similar to the Matrix. But he's stuck in his coma dream with others and all are struggling to get out while also fighting black dangerous creatures called the Reapers. And a small encampment of people helped save him from his initial danger for a reason. Let the adventure begin.

Pros: It's a visual treat and special effects are very well done for a movie like this, which is challenging. It's more than just Inception and contains several interconnected visuals which is a neat trick. It's certainly an ambitious effort and it's very well done and convincing.

The Rest: We begin with a very brief introduction to our protagonist, an architect, whom we have almost nothing invested. He is thrust into a new world and didn't seem too frightened or confused as one might expect if they encountered a world that seems completely unreal and dangerous. Much doesn't make sense, even if some of it might be explainable later. One character goesto the Reaper and blows up both of them to save the rest but don't no explanation is given why they couldn't just throw an explosive and avoid the suicide. It's because that's how they can be killed. Whatever. There isn't much emotion in this film to care about any of the characters.

If you think about the details of what transpires and the rules of this place for a few seconds, it doesn't jell. At all. What separates Nolan and The Matrix and other good films from this is the substantial amount of thought and effort to making a logical structured existence. Here it feels like a very lazy effort, a loose "cool" concept without that same thought behind it. It's just a visual spectacle. Go with it. Don't ask questions.

Unfortunately the reveal and twist in the film is not satisfactory and is poorly and awkwardly executed. It has ambition but the ideas are the kind of simplistic fantasy you see in children's books which can cast aside logic, meaning and any intelligence and what story tellers like Nolan pride themselves on creating. For the most part, it feels like the writers took 3 well known movies and tried to tie them together in a derivative story. Unfortunately, it's a lazy effort and, by the end, there is no reason to care for anyone in this film with little heart.

Another Earth (2011)

Same wine, virtually same bottle and a gimmick

[5/10 · 30 March 2021]

Like numerous other films, it can be summed up in one sentence: Can a person who made a very bad impacting judgment (drunk driving) that significantly impacted others (the family man who lost his family) find an act of redemption through some true act of selflessness and bona fide change of character?

Well I won't give away the answer because even the one in this film doesn't make any sense whatsoever, presented as a science fiction scenario in which a second planet which may have life is also approaching earth while our main subject deals with her grief, mostly in silence. This is primarily an artsy character piece. If you think about the logic aspect once the "twist" is revealed for more than 5 seconds you begin to realize that the twist itself would be the focus of the film, not the story line that begins and is followed. As a result, this film is really just a shallow failure that only works if you can get sucked in by the sappy, contrived setup. I don't blame the actors. It's really just a lazy script.

Who Am I (2014)

Fun premise spoiled by zero credbility "hacking"

[5/10 · 14 March 2021]

For a low budget film, the production value is impressive. Unfortunately the script seems like something out of a young, film class screenwriter. They have a story to tell and an interesting stylish way to tell it but they don't bother to make much effort to provide the components that sell credibility.

The premise of the story is that a "super hacker" is speaking to the head of a criminal agency to discuss his involvement with an incredible series of cyber hacking and espionage events. He becomes friendly with a group of childish acting fanatics who have visions of taking down targets in the hope of impressing a super hacker. Pretty ridiculous but... OK...

The good: The actors do an excellent job on trying to sell their parts. The production and camerawork is excellent for low budget. The story does move along pretty well - but it becomes increasingly impossible to suspend disbelief as the film moves on. It's unfortunate that a movie about "super hackers" leave the tech part to transparent fantasy. I had a feeling there was trouble when our protagonist could "read machine code." What? "Show me" he is asked. Type in stuff really quickly, have lots of windows open with scrolling code and then let the magic happen. Sadly, the tech explanations become more ridiculous as things moved along.

There are two films that are copied in the script. Unfortunately I saw it coming early. What is funny is that the other movie it copies might have been done so deliberately, as the poster of that movie is on a wall late in the film. The last quarter of the film goes to preposterous.

Coming 2 America (2021)

Murphy, Hall & Co. sleep through this film

[3/10 · 5 March 2021]

Eddie Murphy's and Arsenio Hall's exotic accent comes and goes so frequently, it's embarrassing how lazy this whole film seems to be. It's as if they had one reading of the script and the actors simply couldn't get into character. Tracey Morgan, much the same, just collecting the paycheck.

In short, Murphy (because you never feel he is anything else on screen) is looking for the next to be on his throne. He doesn't think his wonderful daughter can take the throne because only men do. So off goes Murphy only to find out he has a surprise for him to take back to the kingdom. Let Queens' worst be ungrateful in the palace of Zamunda and hilarity ensues. Well, not really.

An embarrassing, needless attempt to portray white privileged males denigrating a young black man in a stereotypical way, a throwaway scene of 2 minutes that made its point loud and clear. Several of the jokes are beyond embarrassing. A new way to say you slep with a man is knowing him "up in the crevice". Groan.

This was the movie that nobody asked to get made. And it feels like it from beginning to end.

Page Eight (2011 TV Movie)

Great cast with paper thin plot which caters to Hare's politics

[4/10 · 14 February 2021]

Sadly, this really promising piece of TV with a terrific cast comes up with a paper thin clunker. The acting is terrific, which gets a 3. The production is great, which we'll give 2 more points. But the story is silly and takes a pretty good beginning into a slogging, paper thin "scandal" that is overdramatic. Not surprised that David Hare finds a way to make Israel and the US look like problems but without much of any gravitas behind the supposedly damning truth in this thriller. While I love Nighy, passing him off as a casanova 20 years younger was ridiculous casting.

Run (I) (2020)

Lead actor is good in a terrible script

[3/10 · 16 January 2021]

The first 25 minutes starts with an interesting premise. A girl who is stuck at home, unable to use her legs and who's waiting for favorable letters for entrance to college begins to suspect not all is what seems. Suddenly there is a scene in a pharmacy where the movie falls completely flat. the extras are told to just stand there while stuff happens around them where normal people would react. from that tipping point, the entire film takes a nose dive. credit for the lead actress in trying to make this a credible film but the plot holes are absurd as becomes the script. The rave reviews must be by people associated with the movie, a common problem. The script then veers into ludicrous solely to prolong the story.

Wade in the Water (2019)

Greatest story ever told

[4/10 · 21 November 2020]

My subject refers to the majority of the early reviews, many who have likely have been a part of the film, know the cast or dropped byarketers. The more honest reviewers probably have seen the film on Amazon prime. This looks sounds, and is scripted by students, including some of the actors. If the f-bomb is something your squeamish about, then this 90 minute expedition is really not for you. I really appreciate the effort here and some of the players made the most of their very small parts. It may be partly the responsibility of the script, hard to tell, but the lead actor is not convincing at times and you can see or sense the effort at acting.

What starts off as awkward but willing to give a chance did into an unrealistic place. Skip to the end. You may not be sure whether to laugh or to cry. I just didn't buy the script and especially not the ending.

South Park: Stunning and Brave (2015) Season 19, Episode 1

Brutally funny tasteless mocking of progressive left

[10/10 · 30 May 2020]

This is certainly not an episode for the easily offended. Some of the humor is rather extreme but it does represent the absurd backward thinking that is surrounded the entire Caitlyn Jenner episode in this modern era. Where he she ultimately ended up is actually a testament to the absurd accuracy of this episode. Watching this episode is even more shockingly accurate in light of the justification of mass looting and rioting to supposedly protest the actions of four police officers who were arrested and being prosecuted.

Law & Order: Act of God (1995) Season 5, Episode 17

Vintage Orbach

[10/10 · 22 February 2020]

A building is demolished but has the prosection been pursuing the real perpetrator? Jerry Orbach zingers are searing in this episode of whodonit and the fears of overzealous prosecution.

Shady White (2019)

Hysterically bad

[1/10 · 25 January 2020]

There are times when you wonder how films get funded. Perhaps some incredibly wealthy young person thinks they are filmmaker. Who knows? From the opening block font credits and terrible camera angles and shots... This is a total fail. I will kill the s*** out of you! That's a sample of the dialogue. I don't think there is a character in this crap fest that could act their way out of prison. I'm laughing at the other reviewer who said that all these reviews are fake, probably the actors in the movie, and that even the protagonist can't stand up straight. It's no exaggeration. I'm so thankful for video on demand or you can just look for something else as soon as it's apparent how bad and amateurish this film really is on every level.

Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens (2020– )

Funny, honest, unpretentious

[10/10 · 23 January 2020]

I caught this show by accident on cable. Talented cast. It takes a short time to appreciate the nature of Nora, a lost, self absorbed but sweet loser who has a certain unpretentious honesty. If you understand a little bit about Chinese culture it's a whole other level of hilarious. Nora is wandering her way through life, trying to find her way as an unfocused, adolescent twenty-something while other family members and friends are painful overachievers... but Nora has other friends in the same boat to help along the way. BD Wong is hilarious as her dead wood father and her nosy grandmother is very funny, reminding me of nagging mothers, sometimes providing advice we don't want to hear. I think the show is fresh and original and a nice change of pace.

Edge of Darkness (2010)

Difficult to watch Gibson's unlikable, unconvincing character, poor direction/production

[3/10 · 21 January 2020]

Mel Gibson is certainly capable of acting in a revenge flick. But this is a puzzling film. While one would expect the director to convey to the audience a hero with whom to sympathize, Gibson's Craven is an unlikable "hero" who overreacts and overacts right from the start in unnatural fashion. When tragedy strikes his family immediately, Gibson practically bites the head off anyone around him, barking at everyone which continues throughout the film. It's the result of bad directing and probably a mediocre script and production. It was difficult not to notice how horribly sloppy the rainstorm is shown on screen in the opening, seeing only half the screen filled with rain (from the garden hose above) in at least 2-3 scene perspectives. It was a foreshadowing of the feel of low budget films.

Throughout the rest of the film I could never escape the feeling like Gibson is acting. Unlike Neeson in Taken, whose rage is tempered and surfaces when provocation is near, Gibson is always a 10 on the rampage meter. The police in his home, at the office and in the morgue - he's chopping them all up in this stoic and then sudden bursts of outrage. This is the case even some who seem to be colleagues with whom he works and has an existing amicable relationship. Completely unconvincing and unnatural.

Further, if Gibson is supposed to have been portrayed as a totally unlikable loner, then the audience really doesn't care one white about whether Gibson's Craven lives or dies or fails in his efforts to discover why the tragedy happened and exact revenge upon those who brought it. And I couldn't find anything redeemable about the guy that you'd like from the start, other than that he seems to adore his daughter. Fine. But he seems to be a miserable person who gives all a reason around him to hate him, even if they continue to extend olive branches throughout the film.

Police captain - you can't work on this investigation. It's against the rules. (Of course it is due to a conflict of interest and impossibility to properly testify at trial.) And it is Crime 101. Suddenly the captain agrees that if there is at least some information he must provide (which would be no different than any other crime victim) then somehow he's allowed to work on the case. Uh.... say what? OK, let's say he's giving Gibson a tad of leeway sympathy. Gibson's character seems totally ungrateful in every way. He's plainly not likable at all from the start. This is really not a great film and one of Gibson's worst efforts. Looking up the director, he's the one who directed Green Lantern. Enough said and validates this entire review.

Code 8 (2019)

A good try for a self-funded movie

[5/10 · 23 December 2019]

It's sad when you see something with potential go south so quickly. From the outset, the setup of the concept of human beings with special powers was presented in a very murky fashion. I let it slide to suspend disbelief. But as you move forward, it is incredibly difficult to believe that a world this technologically advanced conveniently lacks simple security cameras and alarms. Armed robbers forget to use masks? As a result, a movie that makes great use of production budget and reasonably decent acting makes for a challenging watch at times.

The world you are shown features people who have superpowers. Yet those who like them are somehow still in control of this world we are to believe is Earth. It's like stepping through someone's cool ideas that might make for an entertaining 10 minutes short but not an entire movie, which needs to continue to sell credibility. And that's what this movie unfortunately lacks at times - proper development and creativity.

The premise is that our protagonist has the superpowers and a sick mother who needs money to survive. Our honorable protagonist gets involved with a band of thieves with superpowers. People with superpowers are somehow the lower class, the weaker class. From there the movie progresses as our hero become stronger and forms a closer bond with the underworld.

From reading the credits of this film it is apparently funded by indiegogo money. Good for the actors who starred in this movie and try to make something of it. But they would have benefited greatly from some type of input that might have alerted those in charge of the major plot holes. Perhaps they were just dismissed, I don't know.

So I really like the effort that went into this movie. I like how much they were able to pull out of a relatively small budget. But this is really just a very good amateur effort that has nothing compelling and a by the numbers attempt at sci-fi adventure.

The Rendezvous (II) (2016)

Shockingly bad, terrible script, fake reviews

[3/10 · 14 December 2019]

I saw a half decent rating for this film so I decided to watch. Within the first 20 minutes I realized how terribly silly this film was. It is as if a bunch of children put together a story. Our heroes wake up after being captured and are confronted with a seven-year-old child holding a gun and keeping watch on the prisoners. You must be kidding me. Confrontation with the adults includes slapstick, jokey comedy that doesn't work at all. Still held at gunpoint, our heroine first insists that she doesn't know or care about her fellow captive. Then a moment later she seems to care. The ridiculous miraculous escape (or there wouldn't be a movie) is so contrived as to wonder what the director was thinking. Was he trying to make a movie like The Mummy? It certainly wasn't working. At all.

The look of the film is ok. It seems like an attempt to take advantage of a foreign city. And it's exactly like what other reviewers describe - an airy adventure tour of a city in Jordan. The dialogue, acting and especially the script is extremely amateurish. If you want to take a tour of Amman and value your time, there are plenty of other documentaries that will do the job effectively.