frankdistefano Reviews

Aftersun (II) (2022)

What was all the hype about?

[2/10 · 4 July 2023]

An endless, boring and pretentious film. The relationship between the father and daughter felt true and honest for a short while, after which it became numbingly repetitive. A movie many consider profound and honest droned on and on, leaving the viewer to finally say "Is that all there is?" Sparks of real feeling and emotion were few and far between. A relationship between one of the main characters comes out of left field. That Paul Mescal was nominated for an Oscar defies comprehension. Then again, Frankie Corio deserved any and all praise for her honest portrayal of his daughter. Praise by others amounted to what they wanted the movie to be, not what it was.

The Lost Daughter (2021)

Pretentious and vague

[2/10 · 3 January 2022]

When you have to consult the detailed plot summary provided by IMDB, then the movie is in deep trouble. Another movie with infuriatingly difficult-to-understand sound recording resulting in missing important plot points, that is if they were EVER there in a terrible script. Some character motivations make no sense. Acting no more than adequate with the exception of Jessie Buckley. Olivia Colman did what she could in the role, but has given better, more lucid performances in just about everything else she's done. A disaster which has fooled critics caught up in its' pretentiousness substituting for a well-written, concise script.

Annette (2021)

Awful!

[1/10 · 22 August 2021]

One of the worst, most pretentious movies I've ever seen.

Objectionable, charmless performance by Adam Driver. An embarrassing performance by Marion Cottilard, a brilliant actress with no need to debase herself with the self-serving direction of Leos Carax, a pompous fraud whose only talent is trying to be oh-so-hip, substituting incomprehensibly for coherence.

Tenet (2020)

Incomprehensible and pretentious

[1/10 · 2 May 2021]

TENET solidifies Christopher Nolan's place as the most pretentious filmmaker of all time. An incomprehensible mess with stilted dialogue and second-rate action sequences, mind-numbingly edited to the point of "who cares?" John David Washington, an actor with absolutely no star power, along with Robert Pattinson, an actor with talent never given a chance to show it in this fiasco were in this mess seemingly only to pick up a paycheck, laughing all the way to the bank.

Mank (2020)

MANK STANK

[2/10 · 6 December 2020]

Dramatically inert, confusing and boring. Too many of the characters pass in and out of the film with only the most cursory introductions. Amanda Seyfried, at least, brought humanity and warmth to a movie infuriatingly deficient in everything but outstanding cinematography. A self-indulgent, pretentious mess.

Beginners (2010)

An infuriatingly mixed bag of a movie

[6/10 · 18 October 2020]

Fine acting by Plummer, MacGregor and Visnjic. Moments of great sensitivity, compassion and warmth. One of the most intrusive movie scores ever, drowning out much of the dialogue between MacGregor and a totally unsympathetic, self-absorbed, boring Melanie Laurent which was probably a good thing. The graphic artist subplot was completely extraneous. A big shout-out for Cosmo, the dog - just wonderful. The director, Mike Mills, should have spent less time contemplating his navel and more time making a cohesive, tight film about an important subject matter.

6 Underground (2019)

A numbing bore

[1/10 · 14 December 2019]

Whatever happened to plot and interesting characters? Surely not found in this expensively boring movie. So much effort and money for so little payoff. Makes no sense whatsoever. Lack of continuity with the main characters driving in Florence, then Siena, then Florence. A shameful waste of time, money, scenery and once respected actors. Take the money and run has become all too common. Depressing all around.

Judy (II) (2019)

Incisive and Heartbreaking

[10/10 · 30 September 2019]

Let's get this out of the way. Renee Zellweger is sensational portraying Judy Garland, even though it's her voice and not Garland singing. Yes, I'm a huge admirer of Garland, one of the lucky few that attended her Carnegie Hall concert in 1961 and to see anyone attempt to capture her magic seemed impossible. Well, Zellweger did! The movie is unflinching in portraying Garland's immense talent and frustrating - for both herself and her audience - self-destruction. That Garland gave so much of herself while wrestling with so many demons, especially from MGM and Louis B. Mayer in her early career, has been brought to the screen with sensitivity and honesty. Not an easy film to watch but fascinating and intriguing. A movie with few punches pulled, leaving the audience enthralled.

Ronin (1998)

A superb thriller

[10/10 · 8 July 2019]

Intelligent and absorbing plot, amazing action sequences, brilliantly directed with masterful, deft use of scenic and intriguing locations.

Don't Let the Night End (I) (2019)

Contemplative and sensitive

[8/10 · 3 July 2019]

A leisurely, contemplative and sensitive study of a woman who is not sure of what she wants in her life, thinking back to what she had and what the future might be, meanwhile settling for something unfulfilling.

The Lone Ranger (2013)

A fiasco, plain and simple

[1/10 · 3 July 2013]

Being one of only ten people attending the first show at the huge Ziegfeld Theatre in New York should have been an omen. After the first reasonably entertaining 20 minutes, the movie went straight-to-Hell. An incoherent script, disappointingly mediocre cinematography never taking full advantage of what could have been spectacular western vistas, insensitive editing, and a central performance by Hammer who seemed to be imitating Brendan Fraser but failing by a mile,the movie was bereft of consistency, tone and style, not to mention humor. The movie was an interminable mess. Infuriating that what could have been a swift, straight-forward classic western with an intelligent script,turned out so wrong. If anyone associated with this fiasco might be thinking of a franchise, think again. A bloated bore.

The Avengers (2012)

An unsurprising, mind-numbing interminable bore

[1/10 · 13 June 2012]

What a disappointment, although really not surprised at how bad it was. A totally boring, endless and mostly witless movie aimed at brain-deadened people who think that special effects, explosions and fantasy but definitely not fantastic characters make for a great movie. The cinematography was gray and cloudy, the editing incomprehensible, and the acting unsurprising and depressingly familiar. Simple, human emotions, which used to be integral to a movie are now so rare. Noise and all-too-familiar mayhem have been substituted. The attention span of the audience, when not being bombarded by yet another special effect, shifts quickly to their cell phone when things slow down even a bit. To think that more-of-the-same will be the order of the day is depressing. Count me out.

Rachel Getting Married (2008)

Annoying, endless - when will this movie be over?

[4/10 · 26 October 2008]

Prompted by many excellent reviews, I looked forward to seeing RACHEL GETTING MARRIED. What a complete letdown. Anne Hathaway, giving a perfectly acceptable, but certainly not extraordinary performance, was the first disappointment in a film of dashed expectations for the viewer. The film was endless and annoying, so badly in need of editing that whatever was good was completely and irrevocably weakened and compromised. To be at that pre-wedding dinner and the actual wedding the next day was something I hope to never experience. What a bunch of boring, self-centered, to-good-to-be-true people, with, I might add, negligible musical talent. The only compelling character, played by the supremely watchable Debra Winger, was barely fleshed out. Just when dramatic fireworks finally arrived, they were cut short in a too-brief scene between mother (Winger)and daughter (Hathaway). More drama, better writing, less music and a ruthless pair of scissors should have been the order of the day for Jonathan Demme.

Woman on the Run (1950)

Excellent film noir with a hard-as-nails performance by Ann Sheridan

[9/10 · 23 July 2006]

WOMAN ON THE RUN is an infinitely better and more rewarding movie experience now than when it was released in 1950. Saw it back then when I was a child and the only thing I remembered was the terrifically-exciting roller coaster sequence. Seeing it again on DVD makes me appreciate everything about it, a film noir classic. To make such a no-nonsense, concise and plausible crime thriller with a sensational finale today certainly seems to be asking for the impossible. Ann Sheridan, of a certain age, never sexier and looking like a million dollars, dominates the screen, as usual. She can do anything, but overact. She's the real thing. Scenes in this movie bear comparison to Orson Welles' TOUCH OF EVIL and Alfred Hitchcock'S STRANGERS ON A TRAIN. This is a gem - hard-boiled, splendidly-acted, written and photographed.

Syriana (2005)

Ambitious, but flawed

[5/10 · 23 November 2005]

To have such an ambitious, wide-ranging plot coldly and rather confusingly executed represents a terrific opportunity wasted. If only the writer/director melded the ingredients with greater clarity and emotional weight. The corruption, double-dealing and greed of governments and individuals, more pertinent now than ever, should have lent itself to a powerful, devastating film. Yes, we leave the theater with our increasingly cynical views of the world confirmed. But the film should have done more for an audience already jaded before the lights went down. This is no MISSING, the absorbing Costa-Gravas film which almost from its beginning, left the audience enthralled and unusually uneasy. That political film both provoked and entertained.