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jjwhitt78
Reviews
Finch (2021)
Much better than it's rating would indicate
I am honestly perplexed at the low rating of this movie. Tom Hanks does his usual job of bringing a gravitas and kindness to the film, while making it look absolutely effortless as he does it. The man is a national treasure, IMHO. Having said that, the acting of the character eventually named "Jeff" should not be understated, and very much carries his own next to Hanks. With no facial features to speak of, they somehow managed to portray an emotion that could be felt in your heart. You'll empathize with him. There was gentleness, anxiety, and a very childlike quality to the character that really came through, to the point that you could almost forget that you were watching a robotic being. Not to mention the voice acting, which was also fantastic and really solitaires the 'humanity' of the character. Is this movie mostly 'safe' and does it give you a sentimental, heartfelt and touching story that never truly steps outside of the safety zone? Yes, but what's wrong with that? Especially when it's done so well! The acting and story don't need high-octane action to be enjoyable. You'll laugh, and (fair warning) unless you're completely heartless, you'll probably tear up. You'll root for the characters, and you'll feel their emotion and struggles. If you want to watch something different that isn't fueled by explosions, mindless action, and instead is character-driven, contemplative, and yet still fun to watch, then I definitely recommend giving this a try. It's a great family movie to watch together!
Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor (2022)
I tried to give Chibnall the benefit of the doubt
I really, really did try. But, my God, this episode was just proof of concept that Chibnall should be an idea man, not a show-runner. The plot was an absolute mess, as usual, with pace, action, and cameos trying to make up for lack of plot resolution and plot-holes that go nowhere and make no sense (why 1916? Other than to see Sacha Dhawan do a wonderful, albeit short, version of Rasputin, there was no purpose that I could see for it. Maybe I missed some explanation? And what about the Dalek with the information on destroying the Dalek race? That turned into a giant nothing-burger that just got glossed over as another plot device. Dan gets shot in the face, but doesn't die OR asphyxiate? CLOTHES REGENRATE NOW TOO?!? SMH.) I only gave this episode a rating as high as I did because of the fan-service cameos, the excitement of 10 returning, and the beautiful shot of the regeneration during the final scenes. (And because I'm a sucker for DW, even at its worst.)
Having tried to give Chibnall some trust throughout his tenure, and despite feeling betrayed by that trust in the end, I will try give him a few compliments. For one, you can definitely say that he swung for the fences and brought some big ideas to the table, even if he didn't really have the talent (or writing skill/writers-room to back them up.) I'm actually one of the few people that actually likes the Timeless Child idea, and the fact that it gives The Doctor's story a whole new open option for stories and surprises, that we wouldn't have been able to have before. It also unlocks us from the ever-present "How many regenerations can The Doctor have? How many are left? Why do they keep getting more?" concerns. That was one of the few things that came out of the past 3 seasons that I was looking forward to learning more about. Also I've, for the most part , genuinely enjoyed Jodi Whittaker's portrayal of The Doctor, (even if the writing did make it unnecessarily inconsistent at times.) That choice, in my opinion, turned out to be solid casting, and I applaud him for having the courage to change things up by choosing her. I felt that she did a wonderful job of giving us the whimsical side as well as the confidence of The Doctor. I do think I'd have liked to seen a little more of the calm, kind, encouraging version that she seemed to adopt at the very end, as that would have really made her Doctor it's own incarnation with its own distinct personality, but unfortunately that will never happen now. Under another show-runner I feel that Whittaker's version could have stood out as one of the better incarnations of the modern area, as there were flashes of real greatness, but unfortunately it got buried under bad plots and inconsistent writing for the character.
Beyond that, I can't think of much else nice to say. This final episode really did prove what the critics have been saying about Chibnall. I normally hate joining the negative "I-don't-want-anything-to-change" so-called fans of so many franchises these days. I have to admit that that they really do have a point this time though. I'm glad Chibnall is done, and I'm just praying that Davies can save what's left, and that he chooses to keep the few good bits that Chibnall left behind and can fix the rest.
Allons-y!
White Elephant (2022)
What a waste of Bruce Willis' final role.
How did they get such big names to sign on to such a terribly conceived movie?! Malkovich, Rooker, even Bruce Willis (who clearly struggled in this role, & probably should have retired before doing this one) are big enough names, with enough Hollywood experience that they should have been able to read this script & know better. The writing made no sense (SPOILER- Rooker's character makes a sudden character turn against his people for absolutely no discernible reason other than a coincidental birth-date in common with his wife, as far as I could tell). The B-plot (gang war) had no point whatsoever, beyond setting up the conflict between the characters, but yet they kept coming back to it for no reason (other than to fill time, I suppose.) Malkovich's role could really have been any random unknown actor for all of the screen-time & purpose his character served (they really could have written this part completely out of the script & it wouldn't have affected the plot/story at all. It really was the most pointless, serving no purpose to the plot, & such a huge waste for a talent like John Malkovich. (I guess he just really wanted to be in a movie with Michael Rooker? Or he knew Bruce Willis was retiring & wanted a chance to be with him in his last role? Or maybe he just simply lost a bet? I really don't get it.) None of this is even to mention the so-called "fortress" house, that ends up being less secure than a straw hut.
The only thing that saved this movie & earned it the 4 stars that I gave it was the gravitas that Rooker brought to the role. You can't help but enjoy watching him in anything. Other than that, the entire movie was basically just a poor excuse to have a bunch of bullets & fists flying around, for reasons that never really explained themselves. Don't get me wrong, I grew up in the 80s, I love pointless action flicks, but this... This is just badly written. Apparently the guy that wrote & directed this is an ex-stuntman, & he really needs to stick with his strong suit, because this isn't it. I honestly believe, after seeing this stinker, that he could write a cook-book & mess it up.
Playing God (2021)
Really a 6,but gets an extra star
I gave this movie an extra star for the casting of Alan Tudyk & Michael McKean, because the talent of these 2 stars really elevates the movie beyond what it would have been otherwise. The gravitas & emotion that they both bring to this film make it better than what the writing & directing would have been able to accomplish on their own. It kills me to say that because I'm a big fan of Tudyk, & McKean is a legend, but the writing is a little contrived, & emotionally they carried the movie over the finish line, whereas the writing couldn't have gotten the job done. I'm not saying this is a bad movie per se', but it's not a great movie either. It's worth a watch if you have nothing else better to see, maybe on family movie night or if you're looking for something a little lightly emotional, or especially if you're looking for that Sunday night religious feel. Otherwise, catch up on other better things that you've missed before putting this one on. The ending will probably leave you feeling unfulfilled, & overall it's one of those "well ok, I've seen it now" type of movies.