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Reviews
I Care a Lot (2020)
Pay Attention to Weist and Dinklage
There's really nothing special about the story, but Dinklage and Weist put in solid performances. They both bring the right mood to their characters. I also enjoyed Nicholas Logan's performance; he does a bang-up job portraying a sinister, awkward, quirky wingman.
The Little Things (2021)
Let's Move On
Denzel carries his role well. Malek didn't seem to connect with the character he was portraying, and Leto's character just isn't believable-forced. The plot twists are far too easy to read, and everything moves as a monotone, anticlimactic pace. The choice of Detective Baxter that causes his demise make no sense. Supposedly good cops/officials doing bad/illegal things for supposedly good reasons is a storyline we've seen enough of. Let's move on.
Mile 22 (2018)
Boom Boom, That's All
The best performances in are by Iko Uwais (Li) and Lauren Cohan (Alice). Ironically, they have the least lines, but they're talented actors who use nonverbals in a way that make their work believable. Wahlberg (James) and Malcovich (Bishop) do plenty of talking that's intended to sound profound but doesn't. Wahlberg's performance was in my opinion the weakest. I kept thinking he was an angry version of the character he's played in Transformers. This is a boom boom movie and that's about all it can be. It's fairly cliché but has several good action sequences-particularly those with Uwais.
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Complex Villains are Key
I think the success of a super hero film hinges on the development of villain who is complex and has an interesting backstory. The villains in this film are boring, dorky and entirely too basic. They're lackeys, who would likely be kept the basement due to how embarrassing they are to real villains. While I think the villains are the major issue, there are other challenges that weaken this film's presentation: 1) action sequences are sluggish and lack visual impact; 2) the film doesn't have the 80s look/feel it should; 3) lengthy interactions with Diana's love interest are lengthy and distracting.
Redemption Ride (2011)
Christian films can be better than this..
The script is bad and quite cliché. The casts delivers their lines very stiffly; they sound as if they're reading. The 'score' doesn't help support the mood or movement of the film. Christian symbols are ill placed and use of them is forced.
The cinematography and scenery are the best parts of the film. Sadly this portrays Christians as corny and quite boring.
Rambo: Last Blood (2019)
All Together Too Predictable
If you enjoy the Rambo film formula, this has everything you expect, and it won't disappoint if that's how you measure it. I found it all together too predictable. It falls into the category of 'something to watch while playing on your mobile device,' especially is you're not a die hard Rambo fan. The film races for the action scenes because there's really nothing else to see. There's a moment when sex trafficking gets the limelight, but it seems incidental and is handled quite clumsily.
Steel Country (2018)
Now Really?
I don't know. Something was missing. I didn't connect with Donny (Andrew Scott). While Scott plays the role well, it's difficult to buy into the storyline, and there's a great deal of effort put in to drawing viewers into Donny's dissonance and overwrought good intentions, which include digging up the body of the child whose death the film centers around. Throughout the film, there are other events that are either nonsensical, disjointed or both. The closing is laughable and left me thinking, 'Now, really?'
Glass (2019)
Disappointing
Unfortunately, this just isn't interesting. The story is forced and doesn't gel. I hoped this the film would be as solid as 'Split,' but it's nowhere near that standard.
The power of McAvoy's split personality character gets a bit diminished with all the switches and the extended dialogue of 'The Beast.'
Samuel L. Jackson's character, Mr. Glass is pretty much the same character Jackson plays in just about every film or commercial in which he is cast. I feel similariky of Bruce Willis' character; he feels, sounds and moves like characters from most of Willis' action flicks.
Even though I'm not a fan of Jackson or Willis, they're both good actors. McAvoy and Paulson are phenomenal; they're both excellent chameleons and truly vanish into their roles. Shymalan didn't capitalize on the talent he had available for this film.
Hanna (2019)
Hanna is Jason Bourne
While I'm glad to see Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman from the hit series 'The Killing,' this series isn't all that special. The cast members manage their roles well, but much of story is predictable and cliché. Basically, Hanna is the teenage, female Jason Bourne.
Creed II (2018)
Doesn't Work
I enjoyed Creed I. There was some substance to the story, but Creed II doesn't work. There is no way Creed can have the success of the Rocky series without some better writing and new ideas. If you've seen the Rocky series, you've seen this movie. It's as if they took the scripts from the various Rockie movies, made revisions and voilà. I like Jordan, but may need to be careful of taking on lead roles that are so limited. Any actor with beyond the right physique could play Adonis Creed.
The best parts of the movie were seeing Phylicia Rashad (Mary Anne Creed) Milo Ventimigilia (Robert Balboa) and Wood Harris (Tony).
Sugar Mountain (2016)
Too Many Plot Twists. Flat Characters.
There are too many plot twists to be believable, and the characters are bit flat. There are moments when I just rolled my eyes in disbelief at how unimaginative the writing. I felt nothing for the characters, and the story isn't anchored with any practical ideas.
Sleepless (2017)
No Substsnce. Terrible Villain. Undeveloped Characters.
Even though the script was cliché and predictable, this could have been a decent film. Foxx was okay. The remaining cast was not strong. Monaghan's character, Rubin was the worst. His 'villainry' was awful. I ended up laughing at everything he did. All of the characters feel underdeveloped, and the script has no substance.
The Neighborhood (2018)
A Great Slice of Life Citcom
I like this citcom. Lots of great talent and the cast has believable chemistry. The show takes on serious such as race and relationships in a way that is impactful but not overbearing.
You Were Never Really Here (2017)
What A Waste
So this was one those artful films. Lots of interesting cinematography, but the script was clearly created from discarded sticky notes. You never connect with Joe (Phoenix). There are flashbacks of what was apparently an abusive childhood, but you really don't end up caring much. The score sucks. Annoying sock hop music plays through. Joe even joins hands with a guy he has shot, and they sing one of the tunes as the guy bleeds out. Another indie film that used the face but wasted the talent of a good actor.