mjoyceh Reviews

Oppenheimer (I) (2023)

good film

[7/10 · 1 March 2024]

Robert Downey Jr. Gives a terrific performance. I hope he wins the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, because he deserves it. The other supporting actors are also excellent. But this does not compensate for the film's failings:

1. The sound effects are awful. They are very distracting, and also gave me a headache. Fortunately I watched this film at home, where I could mute the sound and use subtitles.

2. The storyline is occasionally confusing. Flashbacks are a terrific film technique, but only when used competently, which is not always the case in this film.

3. Less bothersome: The lead actors are not consistently good. Cillian Murphy and Emily Blunt sound over-rehearsed in one or two of their early scenes. Fortunately both actors improved afterwards, giving terrific performances during the rest of the film. The director should have noticed the earlier problems and re-shot those scenes.

Bottom line: It is an interesting film, but do not expect timeline clarity, and keep your remote control's mute button nearby.

R.I.P.D. (2013)

dumb film but still worth seeing

[8/10 · 5 March 2023]

This is one of the stupidest films I've seen in years. I would have given it a lower rating, but Jeff Bridges is terrific. He is enormous fun to watch. Bridges also has the best lines, some of which are quite witty.

People familiar with Boston's Financial District may also find this film of interest, because must of this film seems to have been filmed there, especially on Milk Street, which gets blown to smithereens during the course of this film. As a former Boston resident, I found it interesting to see how realistic digital technology is these days.

Bottom line: See this film if you want to see a great performance by Bridges, or if you want to revisit some Boston sights. Otherwise give this film a pass, because it is incredibly dumb, geared more towards 12-year-old boys than an adult audience.

Apocalypse Now (1979)

watch the original version, not the Redux

[8/10 · 10 January 2023]

This is a review of the Redux version:

Much of this film is wonderful, especially the first half. It is truly an unforgettable film. But this film also includes sections that are so boring, they are painful to watch. After watching this film, I found out that the sections I found boring are the same sections that were removed from the original version.

Maybe not coincidentally, the main removed scenes are the only scenes that have female-speaking characters. This makes me wonder if Coppola inserted those scenes only because he wanted to attract a female audience. Or maybe he thought "sex sells", and added the scenes for that reason. In any case, those scenes are boring and detract from the rest of the film. The studio executives were smart to remove them from the original version.

I do recommend watching this film. But try to see the original version instead of the Redux one.

Long Way Up (2020)

very enjoyable

[10/10 · 23 February 2022]

I've seen all three of the "Long Way" trips, and this one is the best. The scenery is absolutely spectacular, especially in Argentina and Bolivia.

This is a trip I would never be physically able to make myself, so I am very grateful to Ewan and Charlie for making it possible for me to vicariously ride along with them.

The Road (1954)

sad film with terrific acting

[8/10 · 21 December 2021]

This film is a character study. It is a difficult film to watch. The pacing is very slow. The only reason I stayed until the end was the acting: Quinn and Masina both give fantastic performances. They are each utterly compelling in their portrayals of the main characters. Masina in particular is a revelation. Her performance is unforgettable.

The Return of the Soldier (1982)

could have been a lot better

[7/10 · 9 June 2021]

Much of this film is terrific, but it started too late into the plot, and then ended too abruptly.

The problem is that this film tried too hard to be faithful to the novel on which it is based. But books and film are entirely different modes of communication. What works in a novel does not always work on the screen. This film is a good example.

This film's message seems to be that insane people can be happier than sane ones, using the Alan Bates character as proof. Yet the film gives only 1 or 2 minutes to his pre-illness life, and only a few seconds to him supposedly being sane again. I say "supposedly" because all we see is a few seconds of him walking across a lawn. There is no evidence whatsoever that he is now unhappy again.

This film would have been much more effective if additional scenes had been added: e.g. A more extended pre-illness scene showing an unhappy Alan Bates; and then a new scene at the end showing him unhappy. These two scenes would have much more effectively bracketed the happier but insane part of his life.

8 Heads in a Duffel Bag (1997)

very funny

[9/10 · 22 May 2021]

I started watching this film with no expectations whatsoever. The plot is stupid. But despite the stupidity, this film is very, very funny. It kept me laughing throughout almost all of it, to the point where there tears in my eyes from the exertion of laughing so much.

Hollywood used to be called the "entertainment business". Sadly, these days most movie makers have decided they prefer being in the "morality business". Anyway, "8 Heads in a Duffel Bag" is a refreshing throwback to the days when movies were about giving the audience an enjoyable time, not about teaching a morality lesson.

Training Day (2001)

great performance by Denzel

[8/10 · 6 March 2021]

I usually do not like this type of film: too much violence. But Denzel Washington's performance is so terrific, I could not stop watching. He was completely mesmerizing. After seeing the film, I looked it up and found out this performance had won him a Best Actor Oscar. If ever an award was deserved, this one was.

Denzel's performance deserves rating of 10, the rest of the film a 7, so I compromised by giving this film an overall rating of 8.

American Masters: No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (2005) Season 19, Episode 7

Could have been better

[7/10 · 29 January 2021]

The best part of this film are the interviews with Dylan and the musicians who worked with him. These sections of the film are terrific, and make the film worth watching. However, if you do decide to watch it, be prepared to lower your expectations:

First of all, this film covers only the first few years of Dylan's career, and ends around 1966. Dylan had a huge career afterwards (he is still performing) , but you would never know it from this film. I would have been a lot less disappointed if Scorsese had announced the time frame up-front, for example using the title "Dylan: The Early Years".

This film communicates nothing about Dylan's personal life or his interests outside of his music career. Does he even have other interests? There is no way of knowing from this movie.

Yet another problem: This film contains an enormous amount of filler, inserted I think mainly to increase the film's running time. Scorsese spends a lot of time naming other musicians who influenced Dylan. Each of these names is accompanied with a clip showing those musicians at work. These clips take up at least 20% of the film, and did not interest me in the least.

Zodiac (2007)

great film

[8/10 · 15 November 2020]

I first saw this film in a theater in 2007, when it was initially released. At the time, I was not impressed. I was probably distracted by the violence. But since then I've seen this film several times. With each re-viewing it gets better and better. Some highlights:

1. Fincher does a terrific job portraying a US city in the late 1960's and 1970's. For anyone who was an adult back then, this film is something of a trip down memory lane.

2. The soundtrack is great, and perfectly suited to the plot, especially a Hollywood studio band's rendition of Santana's "Soul Sacrifice".

3. All the performances are great. This film was perfectly cast, and the three main actors are perfect in their roles.

4. The film moves along at a fairly good pace.

My only dislike of this film involves its violence. Fortunately there are only a few such scenes, and they are all easily bypassed if you are watching this film at home with a remote control.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)

not funny

[1/10 · 25 October 2020]

This demographic for this film seems to be 12-year-old boys. I did not find it to be in the least bit funny.

Much of this film is extremely insulting towards women: women in cages, women menstruating, women's breasts, women being sold as property, etc. I got so fed up with all this, I didn't finish the film.

The misogynism was bad enough. But adding insult to injury, the insults were not even funny. They just made me cringe.

My favorite film genre is satire. But to be effective, satire has to be subtle: Broad enough to let viewers feel good about being in on the joke, but not so broad the film seems to be endorsing the very things it is supposedly lampooning. Sacha Cohen badly overstepped.

Throw Momma from the Train (1987)

mildly entertaining

[7/10 · 11 October 2020]

This film is worth seeing mainly for Anne Ramsey's performance. What a terrific actress she was, completely convincing in playing such an ugly and mean person. It was fun watching her.

The Mechanic (1972)

compelling

[8/10 · 14 September 2020]

When it comes to films, I have a short attention span. It takes very little for me to lose interest. This film, however, kept me totally engrossed for every second of the film. From start to finish, I could not take my eyes off the screen. The actors are terrific here, but I credit mainly the director and editor, who did a fantastic job with constantly moving the story forward, never letting it get bogged down with inessentials.

Dilili in Paris (2018)

Delightful

[9/10 · 14 September 2020]

This film's art work is beautiful: both the animation and also the Paris architecture. I found myself mesmerized by the beautiful scenes.

This film also has an interesting story that can be enjoyed by adults and children, but I especially recommend it for young girls, due to its message of empowerment.

The Wife (I) (2017)

unbelievable

[7/10 · 8 August 2020]

I rated this film as highly as I did only it did keep my interest, which is more than I can say for most other films I've been recently seeing.

On the negative side: The plot is totally unbelievable. A person with the self-confidence shown by Glenn Close would never have behaved the way this character did. I cannot say more without turning this review into a Spoiler. But consider yourself warned.

I think the underlying problem is that the wife's role was either miscast or misinterpreted. Based on the plot, this wife had to be a very passive and insecure person, someone afraid of her own shadow. Glenn Close portrayed her as the exact opposite. Her performance is very compelling, but it contradicts the entire storyline. The result is a film completely lacking in any credibility.

One Day in the Haram (2017)

very interesting

[8/10 · 6 August 2020]

This film consists of interviews with employees at the Mecca pilgramage site. I found it very interesting while also being educational.

I have only three objections:

(1) Not a single woman was interviewed. It would be interesting to know whether this is because no women are employed there, or because the film just ran out of time.

(2) Some members of the religious police are included as interviewees. The narrator repeatedly mentions how "gentle" they are. This is probably true. Mecca gets millions of international visitors. Saudi Arabia probably makes gentleness a condition of employment, to avoid giving visitors a bad experience. But I doubt Saudi religous police OUTSIDE the shrine have this same temperment. In other words, when it comes to religious police, these interviews are a little misleading.

(2) At the end of the film the narrator says Mecca is "the oldest place of prayer to the God of mankind". Not true. As a place of single God prayer, Jerusalem preceded Mecca by a few hundred years.

Aside from the above, I highly recommend this film. It was enjoyable and I learned a lot. I may even watch it again, because a lot of the information is somewhat technical, and another viewing would be helpful to absorb it all.

Superships (2001– )

great series

[9/10 · 3 July 2020]

This was a surprisingly interesting series: very entertaining while also being educational. Each episode gives an in-depth look at a different type of large ship. I cannot pick a favorite episode, because each one was fascinating in its own way.

Four of a Kind (2008)

very good

[8/10 · 18 April 2020]

This is an excellent film about betrayal. It is about four women, each of whom experiences a different type of betrayal. Each of their betrayal stories is told separately. In the end, the betrayal stories come together in what to me was a very satisfying ending.

The script moves at a good pace, and all the performances are great.

Miseria e nobiltà (1954)

lost interest

[1/10 · 26 March 2020]

This film is very stagey and also over-acted. I only watched about 25 minutes, which was about 20 minutes too many.

What Did Jack Do? (2017)

good satire

[8/10 · 26 January 2020]

I loved this short film. It is very creative. Maybe I am reading too much into things, but I see this film as a satire on the hackneyed state of the English language. Lynch is making fun of the way many people speak. He is also indirectly criticizing the way many screenwriters write. His basic premise: Even monkeys can be trained to speak movie dialogue, because the dialogue in so many films is filled with cliches.

The Merchant of Venice (2004)

great performances

[8/10 · 15 October 2019]

Al Pacino is terrific in this film. I loved his performance. Jeremy Irons is also great.

I would have rated this film even higher, but it is based on Shakespeare's play, and Shakespeare did not handle this play's plot very well. He put a comic romantic scene near the end of what is otherwise a very tragic story. This "rings" scene near the end makes no sense to me. It does not fit in with the rest of the film, either in storyline or emotional tone. And because this scene comes near the end, it ruins what until this point had been a terrific cinematic experience.

Drunk Parents (2019)

very funny

[8/10 · 1 September 2019]

This film was one of the options on an airline flight I took last week. I wasn't expecting much, but the airline's other choices were not appealing either, so I gave "Drunken Parents" a try.

Parts of this film turned out to be very funny. I was laughing out loud quite a lot. The plot was stupid, but the actors made the most of things, often successfully. I am very glad I didn't look at the IMDB rating first (currently 3.7), or I would never have given this film a chance.

Death Wish (2018)

see the original instead

[5/10 · 26 March 2019]

The original version with Charles Bronson is much better. This version drags. It has several scenes that go on for too long, and I got bored watching it. Also the script spent too much time showing Bruce Willis acting sensitive, which also got boring.

It was also annoying that all the villains in this film seemed to be Latino. Are most Chicago muggers and killers really Latino? If I was Latino (I'm not), I would be very insulted by this film.

Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)

surprisingly good

[8/10 · 17 March 2019]

This film is very original, very creative. The script is terrific, and often very funny.

Strangers (I) (2018)

boring

[5/10 · 17 February 2019]

The first episode was excellent, but the series went downhill from there. This show became increasingly slow-moving and boring. I finally stopped watching after episode 4.