LincolnSixEko Reviews

RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop (2023)

Incredible

[10/10 · 17 May 2024]

Remember when DVDs came with behind the scenes with the cast and crew?

Well this is that, but instead of 30 min or maybe an hour, we get 4 episodes each at least an hour long.

The sheer amount of people interviewed here is mind blowing. Remember the "Id buy that for a dollar" guy? Yup he's here. The guy that gets shot in the weiner? Yup he's here too. Along with tons of other cast members, crew, effects teams, producers, writers, etc etc. And of course Paul Verhoven, Peter Weller, and Nancy Allen are here too. It's absolutely incredible how they got so many people involved with the film here, and they're all passionate talking about it.

Another interesting aspect is that the way this is laid out is cool because it starts from the very beginning of how it came together, but then they actually go through pretty much the entire film in order, giving us a true behind the scenes of every aspect of the film.

Take Shelter (2011)

Huh

[5/10 · 6 March 2024]

Michael Shannon is fantastic as always, and the story moves along making you wonder how it's all going to end. Although it does plateau for a bit until the last 20-30 minutes.

What kind of bothered me was they already had a storm shelter, but Michael spent more money to make it bigger even though there was no reason to do so. In the process he lost his job, his supposedly excellent health insurance, and his wife got mad at him for a while.

I don't really get it to be honest. It's like the film wants us to take mental health seriously which makes total sense but then has this weird undertone to it that muddles it up.

Beef (2023– )

S1 review...along with, "Netflix- don't screw it up"

[9/10 · 21 December 2023]

The main reason I didn't watch it when it came out is because I thought this was some dumb comedy solely centered on some road rage incident and the 2 main leads just argue and fight each other in stupid ways (no it's not a comedy, more like a dramedy).

It's not just 2 people bickering back and forth strung out for 10 episodes. It's so much more than that. I could actually relate to the characters more than I thought I would. And the writing, acting and cinematography are all excellent. And did I mention it's from A24???

Along with an absolutely awesome soundtrack- we got Incubus, Bush, and "Mayonnaise" from the Smashing Pumpkins which I haven't heard in forever.

I've read the creator of the show has a plan for 3 seasons total. And all I gotta say is that Netflix better not mess this series up or cancel it like they have with many others.

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Don't waste your time.

[3/10 · 15 December 2023]

Man, I love vacation gone wrong movies. Somewhere they're unfamiliar with, people they don't know, it really keeps me glued to the TV. Especially if it's a slow burn.

This movie has that slow burn, and it's like lighting the fuse on a firework, and waiting on the excitement for the firework to go off. Except this movie doesn't have a firework at the end. It's just one extremely long fuse with nothing at the end.

Movie starts out great and performances from Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawk are solid as usual. Mr Ali did great too. But at 2 hours and 13 minutes they can only carry the movie so much, and the biggest problem is there's a ton of boring dialogue that goes nowhere. It just drags on and on. Not to mention the race baiting. Ugh, please stop with that nonsense already. On the plus side the cinematography was really good though.

There's also a small scene with Tesla cars thats just silly. I feel like in maybe a few years time people are going to upload that scene to YouTube and just laugh at how goofy it was, (like "No not the bees!!!!"from the wonderful Nicholas Cage). That, and the deer scene toward the end.

And then...there's the ending. What. A. Pile. Of. Crap.

Complete Unknown (2016)

Complete Waste of Time

[3/10 · 6 December 2023]

I like Rachel Weisz but this movie sucks. The whole time I'm thinking, how's it doing to end, and it just ends with a wet fart.

There's a scene about halfway where Rachel and Micheal Shannon go to a dance club, along with Michael's wife and friends. When his friends start to question Rachel, she leaves and Micheal follows her out. Thing is, they spend probably around 3-4 hours together. His wife texts him maybe 3 times, no phone calls from her or his friends. Theyre gone so long that when Michael comes home his wife is already at home drinking wine like she's been waiting a long time for him to come back. It's just stupid.

Kathy Bates is here to, for about 10 minutes. Same with Danny Glover. What a waste of talent.

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

JW has officially jumped the shark

[5/10 · 16 November 2023]

I love JW 1-3. Awesome fight scenes, excellent cinematography, interesting characters, great stories.

This movie is everything I dislike about modern sequels. "Bigger" and "more, more, more" does not equal better.

The kevlar suits deflecting bullets is used WAY too much. Its mind numbing to watch Wick and others deflect bullets over and over. Everyone fights with pistols with the exception of maybe 5 bad guys who use an automatic rifle or shotgun then get disarmed, Wick rolls on the ground and does the same type of grab/kill move over and over. I'm fine with CGI blood, but when it doesn't show on blades/clothing/walls/floors it feels cheap. Some of it literally fades out in the air like exhaling in cold weather.

Then there's the plot. John can break the rules, but everyone else seemingly is bound by them. John can also find loophole after loophole within these rules and bend things his way when the plot needs it to move forward. John has "friends" but then they're enemies, oh wait now they're friends again.

John can also get hit by multiple cars, fall 30 ft to a concrete column, fall another 30 ft to concrete, jump from a 4 story building and land on a car and be fine. Not to mention fight dozens and dozens of bad guys without being tired or hit once. Is this a JW or a Marvel movie?

Then the final battle...man, it's REALLY disappointing. Then there's an after credits scene, and after watching it I was like, "who cares????".

The one and only thing I liked about this movie was a scene toward the end where John is in a building shooting dudes with a shotgun but the camera is in overhead view like Hotline Miami. It only last about 2 minutes though. So a really cool 2 minute scene in an almost 3 hour mess...(JW voice, "yeah").

There's talks of a JW5 and I really hope its the final chapter and remedies all the nonsense from this movie.

Renfield (2023)

Cage shines, Awkwafina drags it down.

[6/10 · 10 November 2023]

Cage was born for this role. He's not in the movie as much as I would've liked though. I was expecting him to go full Nic Cage mode here, but he takes a slightly different approach and it works pretty well.

The gore is amazing with some really spectacular dismemberments and blood effects. They're really fun to watch. Only issue I had with it is the CGI blood doesn't stain clothes, walls, and floors etc so it kinda gave an unfinished look.

Then there's Awkwafina. She can't act at all. Her line delivery is terrible. I have no idea why she keeps being cast in so many movies. She plays a cop but I didn't buy a second of it. If her role was switched with the woman that plays her sister the movie would been better.

Dead to Me (2019–2022)

S1 and S2- great. S3- garbage.

[7/10 · 2 November 2023]

Yes the entire setup and story is a liiiiiitle out there, and you sorta need to break away from actual reality, but overall s1 and s2 are solid watch with good tension and some dark comedy in there. Christiana Applegate and Linda Cardenilli have excellent chemistry and really deliver. James Mardsen did great too. Applegate listening to death metal to relax was hilarious. I even liked some of the other characters like the cop Perez. And even Aunt Rachel from Family Matters and Peggy from Married with Children is in a handful of episodes too. No spoilers, but the only thing I didn't like about S2 was in the first episode. Felt like a cheap shot, but I was like ok I'll roll with it.

Then S3 comes along and it feels like a completely different show. The entire tone changed. The thrilling tension is gone and the comedy goes from funny to annoying. There's just a lot of needless filler, melodramatic plotlines and terrible dialogue. Not to mention a scene in a car where the background shows all snow, but when it switches to the front it's summer. The series ending was so...bland.

Oh one more thing I didn't like was the constant flashbacks. The same ones. Over and over. It's like the writers think the audience has the memory capacity of a flea.

If you do end up watching the show, consider S2 the last and just stop there. That ending felt like a good way to close the series.

Old Dads (2023)

What is this

[3/10 · 26 October 2023]

I'm a big fan of Bill Burr, but I'm having a really difficult time believing he wrote this.

I've always liked how Bill Burr just doesn't care about offending people and tells it like it is. But this movie...ugh. The whole setup is just weird. The plot seems very forced, unnatural and cookie-cutter.

The principal character is the "villian" who has got to be in her 40s but acts like she's at the top of the food chain. And get this- she's the principal of a private school. Yeah I don't believe Bill would go along with sending their kids to a private school ever. Which leads me to his wife...

She's annoying. Theres no way he would marry someone like that. Example: After he rips into the principal at some event, his wife kicks him out of the house and even says she's doesn't even know if she wants to raise kids with him anymore. Dumb.

There's also a scene where one of the kids smacks a pregnant woman's belly, and she starts to say that kid shouldn't do that in a firm way. But then the bad kid's mother interrupts with nonsense about she doesn't need to scream at her child, just to setup a "joke" for the pregnant mom to rip into the other mother. Dumb.

There's more- especially the "moral" of the movie. Cookie-cutter bland ending too.

Arnold (2023)

Great

[8/10 · 16 October 2023]

Exactly how a well made documentary should be done. All three episodes go chronologically.

Episode 1- this is all about bodybuilding. Shows how Arnold got started and kept working his way up and up. Interviews with many bodybuilders and coaches Arnold interacted with.

Episode 2- This is all about his mom, meeting Maria Shriver and then his movies. It was my favorite episode since I grew up watching most of his movies. Interviews with James Cameron, Stallone, Linda Hamilton, Ivan Reitman, Jamie Lee Curtis, Danny Devito, and many others. There's also loads of clips from many of his films included too which is a huge plus.

Episode 3 is about the Governator, the scandal, his affair, his best friend and the future. It wasnt my favorite as I don't like politics, but it was fine.

Frasier (2023– )

Episode 1 review

[5/10 · 15 October 2023]

I love the original Frasier show. It was excellent, smart writing and genuine laughs.

Fast forward to this show and I immediately noticed it felt different - a LOT different. From the get go, this show feels like a sitcom from the 70s or 80s with the absolutely dreadful cheap laugh tracks and quick-fire predictable "jokes" that happen every 5 seconds. Then there's the writing, so far it has zero of the flair from the original. Frasier doesn't quite *act* like the Frasier we all know. The nephew, professors and Frederick all feel like placeholders for quick-fire cheap and tired jokes.

But then...it gets serious, maybe a little too serious, but answers some important questions we were all thinking.

Then finally, it has a short build up of how Frasier plans to stay.

There's potential for later episodes to tone down the cheese sitcom feel to it. But overall this first episode was good/bad. Bad mostly wins out but the serious part gives me hope for great writing like that in future episodes, so it gets a 5/10.

Totally Killer (2023)

It's ok

[6/10 · 10 October 2023]

It's very difficult to pull off a horror comedy movie. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Here, it leans more toward the latter. As a horror-ish movie it's serviceable, but the comedy is flat.

Kieran Shipka did ok, but for most of the film she's a glorified babysitter. The look of the 80s they did pretty well though, as they didn't shoot straight to neon everything. The choice of 80s music is pretty good too. But what bugs me is the PC commentary.

But the absolute worst part... haven't I watched this movie before?? That's because a movie called The Final Girls did the exact same thing in 2015. And it did it better.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)

Feels like a made for TV movie

[3/10 · 28 September 2023]

The movie starts out showing the turtles stealing food and toiletries from stores. What a great start.

The origin story is completely changed. Actually there's a ton of changes from the cartoons, comic and previous movies.

I really liked the art style. It looks great! The actual animation though, is very...choppy. Like they were trying to go for a stop motion animation style but its 15fps instead of the standard 24fps for movies. It didn't give me a headache or anything but I think it will affect some people in a negative way.

The turtles don't really have distinct personalities, and they definitely don't act like teenagers - more like 8 year olds. The turtles voice actors are mostly fine except I thought Michelangelo was bad. Donatello has glasses for some reason. The turtles call Master Splinter, "dad" which felt weird. Bebop and Rocksteady are barely in the movie and feel like background noise.

Some of the voice talent is questionable. Ice Cube is the main villain as Superfly, but he's just doing the exact same voice he always does, playing as himself for the millionth time. Jackie Chan as Splinter didn't work for me either and they made him kind of silly. Leatherhead is voiced by Rose Byrne because she somehow has to be miscast in yet another film. And finally, April is chunky and black because the PC "diversity" culture is rampant nowadays.

The overall dialogue is really weak and caters to the tik tok crowd- they say "bro" and "sus" a lot. There's also way too much pop culture references which immediately dates the movie, along with some ridiculous music choices, like "No Diggity" for example.

And the rating- how in the world did this get PG?!?!? They say "what the hell" and "damn" a LOT for a PG movie. Plus April throwing up too.

Knock at the Cabin (2023)

Dave Bautista is the reason to watch it.

[5/10 · 28 September 2023]

And almost everything else is disappointing.

Every time a M. Night movie comes out I get excited by the premise...until I see it's directed by M. Night. I've always been somewhat disappointed after watching his films, and this one is no exception. His ideas are cool, but his execution is not. There's always something missing. Usually it's a mix of poor dialogue, poor pacing and bland storytelling.

Here, it starts out really good, but the "Knock at the Cabin" happens around the 30 minute mark. From there, the movie feels like it's on life support until the last 25-30 minutes and it gets interesting again. But it's not enough.

And another thing- why is this movie rated R when almost every scene of violence the camera cuts away like a pg-13 movie? Dumb.

The Intruder (I) (2019)

Seen it a million times before.

[4/10 · 19 September 2023]

Dennis Quaid played the role well and was convincing. The acting overall was pretty good. The pacing was also done well for this type of film.

But there's some issues here. First, we've all watched this movie a million other times. This one is copy and paste for every single beat. Second, there's always a point in the story where that one main character who doesn't believe the other main character when they're trying to tell them the so called nice and normal neighbor is actually a psychopath. Drives me nuts. And finally, the rap soundtrack is trash. Whoever picked the songs for this movie should be fired.

All My Friends Hate Me (2021)

Not sure what the message is.

[5/10 · 22 August 2023]

I'm not really sure what's going on here. The whole movie is kind of a mystery film, (definitely not horror and/or comedy). It keeps building and building little by little and it was done very well. Excellent camera shots too. I couldn't wait to see how it was all going to end.

But at the end I was like, "that's it?". There's so many questions raised and now I'm thinking what is the real point going on here? Is it supposed to emphasize someone dealing with social anxiety? If so I can relate, but this movie doesn't have an ending that justifies everything that happened before it. It feels like the whole thing just happened just to give the viewer a "gotcha" moment at the end.

Cocaine Bear (2023)

I can't find anything good to say here.

[2/10 · 19 August 2023]

I was expecting a fun silly movie.

But oh my God everything is so bland. The acting, the "comedy", the direction, the characters, the dialogue, the pacing. Some scenes just drag on and on too.

I made it barely 45 minutes before I kept checking to see how much time was left. This movie is just very bland and boring, so I can't really go into what I liked because there is nothing positive. I will say Ray Liotta did great as usual but his talent is completely wasted here.

I really don't know what else to say. So I'll just mention that this was directed by Elizabeth Banks and she did a terrible job. Bad directing, along with bad writing and terrible editing.

Speak No Evil (2022)

I like it, but I also don't.

[5/10 · 5 August 2023]

Man, the absolute perfection of build up throughout the movie is done incredibly well. Just watch how everything unfolds piece by piece was an absolute treat to see, and I couldnt wait to see what would happen next, then after that etc. The whole time I was thinking it would be something really special like the movie Midsommar.

But like another movie I just watched (Barbarian), it does the exact same thing- a fantastic 2/3 of a movie but then the final act is like someone who spreads their cheeks and violently diarrhea poops all over the walls at truck stops. I mean seriously its really ridiculous.

Barbarian (2022)

Well...

[6/10 · 3 August 2023]

The first half of the movie was very engaging. And let me just point out that the cinematography was some of the best I've seen in recent movies- you get to clearly see what is happening, as well as what's happening in the background at the same time. Camera shots are lined up really well, no shaky cam and don't cut back and forth, which is sorely missing from modern movies especially in the horror genre to build tension. Both actors give excellent performances. Gave this part 8/10.

Then the second half of the movie happens. Oh ok, this is different but how does it relate to the first part?? Oh ok I see, I can roll with that. 7/10.

But in the last 30 or so minutes, it REALLY falls apart. It's like they didn't really know how to properly build the final act and just threw whatever they could out there. 3/10.

It's a movie that I liked and didn't like at the same time. Do I recommend it? Yeah I'd say at check it out for the awesome cinematography and main character.

M3GAN (2022)

(Unrated version) Mixed feelings overall.

[6/10 · 2 July 2023]

This is one of those oddball movies where an interesting idea, low budget then it takes off and makes lots of money. The movie "Species" comes to mind, among others. The kind of movie where most people don't expect it to get a lot of attention and make a lot of money but somehow pierces through and is successful.

The problem I have with Megan is that it bounces back and forth a little between serious and campy while feeling way too predictable. I feel like if this movie came out in 2002 it wouldve bombed. But for some reason, in 2023 it's popular, and after watching the unrated version I don't really understand why. It's very formulaic and goes by the book for what to expect. Is it a bad movie? No. Is it a great movie? Also no. Just very average.

Maybe my own expectations were too high I don't know.

Considering there's a sequel on the way my interest is renewed for how it continues and to anticipate "what will happen next????" but at the same time I'm thinking about if it's going to be Species II and just do everything by the book in the most careful, straightforward and predictable way.

Alice, Darling (2022)

Great acting by Anna Kendrick, story goes nowhere.

[4/10 · 1 July 2023]

As someone who has been gaslighted not by a relationship but from a family member I felt like I could really relate to this movie...at first.

The problem is, the gaslighting demonstrated here is so spotty and light i wanted to really see why Alice (Anna Kendrick) ended up the she she is. The movie barely scratches the surface. Very disappointed.

Next, this is not a thriller. The story builds itself as a slow burn which I don't have anything against, but in the end it falls completely flat and just ends abruptly with no resolution. There's also a small plot point of a missing girl, but it has absolutely no point being here and just gets thrown away.

The cast did a good job acting though.

Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators (2023)

The right way to do a documentary.

[9/10 · 29 June 2023]

5 episodes, 30-45 minutes each with interviews of most of the actual Gladiators, producers, show runners, etc with zero filler. Each episode had a good theme to it and they flew by fast. I never lost interest.

Unlike the other Netflix doc, "Pepsi, Where's my Jet?" which is the WRONG method to do a documentary, the American Gladiators documentary is by far something worthwhile to watch.

Even if you've only watched a single episode of the show when it was on TV, give this little mini series a shot. It's informative and interesting but most importantly - it's entertaining to watch, just like the TV show.

Absolutely Anything (2015)

Great Value brand version of Click...with aliens.

[5/10 · 27 May 2023]

All the stuff from that movie is here, the things he does is wild and funny. The aliens part was a nice touch.

But my biggest gripe is that there's a romantic subplot. It's paper thin and cliche. This movie would've been better without it because it's SO tired and overdone. It's obvious from the start what's going to happen. The beautiful woman is single of course and can't find a good man, blah, blah, blah. I wonder if they'll get together?!?!?!? Oh what could it be????

Other than that Simon Pegg did his usual good job and the comedy was on point. Kate Beckinsale did fine too, but again she wasn't needed.

Air (I) (2023)

I don't watch sports.

[9/10 · 17 May 2023]

But I do enjoy a good success story. And this movie delivers. All the acting from Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman and even Chris Tucker(!) were great. The story moved along nicely and was interesting to watch from beginning to end.

It's always great to see the authenticity of existing brands represented in movies too instead of trying to hide/mask them because of licensing rights or whatever the case may be. Nike, Adidas, Converse are all here, among other brands of the 80's. Even clips of games and Jordan himself are real footage. Well done to everyone involved getting that part spot on.

With that said, the soundtrack is also excellent too. There's a TON of popular songs here. I'm in my early 40s and almost every song featured here I was jamming along too, (except that horrid Violent Femms song- I HATE that song with a passion). Anyways, the soundtrack added a bit more fun for me to watch overall.

The Black Phone (2021)

Overrated, could've been awesome.

[6/10 · 1 April 2023]

So many people saying this is one of the best horror movies out there, and I was excited to see it. It's not a bad film, but it could've been so much better.

First I'll say the lead kids did an excellent job. The soundtrack was really good too, and not just the licensed songs either. It starts out really well developing characters and environment. Their dad was really good too.

But then, the dad goes from drunk intimidating father to kindhearted. It felt weird. Then there's the sister. She has premonitions, and somehow convinces not only her dad but the local cops on what to do next. Riiiiiiiiight.

Then there's the basment. Kidnapper locks kid in basement is nothing new. The issues I had were why there are three rolls of carpet just randomly sitting down there? Why is the entire prison cell concrete except a small portion of the floor which is just tile with dirt underneath???? Huh?? The kidnapper says he built it himself...so what's the deal? And the only reasons are- to help move the plot. Those things made the movie feel forced.

Then the ending. I was expecting more. A lot more. There still questions that haven't been answered and it felt like a rush job. No cool little twists or anything. Nothing. It's just, "button it up and call it a day."