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A.I. Rising (2018)

Really Slow

• Lots of nudity. Full frontal for the woman. Only rear for the man. Lots of sex. Soft porn.

• Exterior special effects and visuals look good. The music is good.

• The outside of the space ship looks good. But the inside only has three computer keyboards, three computer monitors, the android's charging station, and flashing lights.

The rest of the inside of the spaceship is just dark metal tunnels with no visible controls.

• Human man and female android never ever do any work. All time is spent on their relationship.

• Man is sent on a space mission alone. But with a female android. Who he falls in love with. Man has bad relationship history with (real) women.

• I assume the movie is supposed to say something about android emotional sentience. But I never got it.

• I can see why some reviews said they kept fast forwarding the movie ten minutes here, and ten minutes there. It took me about four sittings to finish the movie. It's really slow. Lots of scenes of the characters doing nothing. And the flashing lights on the ship seem to serve no practical purpose. Just there for melodramatic affect.

Alien: Romulus (2024)

Not great, not bad.

I guess it's okay. Good special effects, action, and acting. Except for the over used horror trope of the characters running around like frightened ninnies.

I understand a horror movie would not be as frightening if any character would act in a brave, calm, cool collected manner. But it is annoyingly redundant and lacking in originality and imagination to constantly throw stupid imbeciles at the screen and expect anyone except stupid imbeciles to relate.

To be honest, the main character (Rain played by Cailee Spaeny) is kind of smart and resourceful. But she ain't brave, calm, cool and collected. I quickly got tired of the constant look of panic on her face, and in her acting.

(I mean these characters are stealing a space ship, to raid a damaged ship, to escape to a planet they are not authorized to go to, that is supposed to take years to get to. Did they really think there would be no danger involved? I know they never expected to run into deadly aliens. But come on, danger is danger. And weenieing out into full panic mode --- these kids were never qualified for the original mission.)

And I know it's just silly entertainment. But the premise doesn't make sense. As often reported, the Nostromo was obliterated in the first movie Alien by three nuclear explosions. So to have any of it still intact makes no sense. And Ripley blew the first alien out of the escape shuttle. So how did it end up back in this movie?

And how illogically convenient Rain's companion is a pacifist android. Her father left it to take care of his daughter. Wouldn't an android armed with self defense abilities be better at taking care of his daughter, than a wimpy pacifist everybody beats up just for fun?

For me, nothing will compare to the first movie. Because I was much younger then, and no scifi horror movie had ever been made like this before. Until the first Alien movie, all previous scifi movies were campy B movies with silly special effects.

And I personally find suspense and mystery more frightening than action and easy to see monsters. The first Alien movie left a lot to the imagination. And I think what we don't know or understand is more scary than what we can easily see.

But once again, I know the target audience is teens and twenty year olds. Not anybody old enough to have seen the original when it first came out. And more likely not to be tired of horror movie tropes yet.

6 out of 10 for me.

The Tourist (2022)

Good premise, stupid action scenes.

The premise is good, the acting is good, the dialogue is good --- but the action is stupid.

• Opening episode; Supposedly sophisticated and experienced killer is driving a little car, being chased by a tractor trailer, decides the best way to get away is to employ the "Prometheus School of Running Away" (Christine movie did it too, with a targeted victim deciding the best way to avoid getting run over by a pursuing car is to run straight down a street. Not stop, run sideways, cut in-between cars, houses, trees, etc.)

A little car is way more nimble than a tractor trailer. It can stop, start, turn and accelerate much more quickly than a big tractor trailer with has a much bigger turning radius.

Ridiculously stupid.

• In the last episode of season one, a hired hit man decides to shoot a house with a shotgun. Blowing out windows, exploding glasses, plates, picture frames, TV screens, etc. Shotguns typically hold five shells. Why is this supposedly experienced, effective and efficient hitman wasting ammunition shooting windows, glasses, plates, picture frames --- when he is supposed to be killing one man? He doesn't know who's in the house. He doesn't know if they are armed. He's only giving them a chance to prepare to protect themselves, and/or run out the back door, etc.

Ridiculously stupid and non sensible.

(This hitman eventually falls down a well which is at least twenty feet deep. The scene does not show any ladder, or anything to climb on in this well with his body. Later on they show his hands pulling him up out of the well. How did he get out of there? This guy is at least two hundred pounds. Can any human being jump twenty feet in the air? Stupid.)

Everything else is good.

The Gentlemen (2024)

It's listed as a comedy. Not a serious drama.

Most of the negative reviews here don't seem to realize this is a comedy. They take it too seriously. With complaints about realism and probabilities.

I agree, it got a little too ridiculous for me at first. Mainly because of the Freddy character (brother of the main character Eddie played by Theo James). At first he was too exagerrated, ridiculous, and irresponsible for me. I actually turned it off in the beginning because of him. I only came back to it, because I couldn't find anything better. And I'm glad I did. Thankfully his character wised up a little as the series went on. And became a little more responsible, and less wreckless and foolish.

To me, the star of the show was the Susie Glass character played by Kaya Scodelario. As a guy, I just thought she was breathtaking. With her big beautiful blue eyes, gorgeous face, statuesque figure, and amazing wardrobe. Added to that, I thought her character was the most interesting, and intriguing. She was written well, and portrayed wonderfully by the actress. Opposed to the Freddy character, she was very serious, smart, composed, confident and practical.

Yes, all the acting was good from Theo James, to the Geoff character, to Lady Sabrina, to the sister, etc. Even the gangsters were written and played well. I did not find them cliche or undeveloped. Also the cinematography and music was good. I didn't like all the rap music. But I understand that is popular with the young people today. But I did like the classical and choir music.

Once again, I agree it got a little silly in the beginning. And I often found the Freddy character annoying. That is why I only gave it a 7/10. But it improved as it went on. And unlike a lot of reviewers here, I liked the ending.

Event Horizon (1997)

Entertaining --- but stupid.

Pros

• Good special effects.

• Lawrence Fushburn was good and his character was written well.

Cons

• Stupid trope beginning. Hollywood needs to stop writing openings to scifi movies like this. No astronaut would agree to go on any long distance space mission without knowing what the mission is. This stupid cliche, of only telling them what the mission is once they finally get there, is really stupid.

• Hollywood cliche of professional astronauts acting like little ninnies in a haunted house.

• Hollywood cliche of needing characters to be stupid in a horror movie.

Every character knew the ship had been deluding them. Why would the Kathleen Quinlan character chase after any vision of her child son, when she knew there was no reason he would ever be on either of these ships? Especially when she knew time was of the essence? And the whole crew was depending on her? Stupid.

The Justin character thought it was a good idea to stick his fingers and arm into a mysterious fluid? No knowing what it was? Stupid Then he opens the outer door when everybody told him not to. And then asks the crew to save him by opening the inner door? If he insisted on killing himself, why is he asking them to save him? Stupid

• The Event Horizon went to Hell, killed the whole crew, and then decided to hide out around Neptune for seven years? Why? What effective and efficient goal was supposed to be accomplished by doing that?

Stupid.

Atlas (2024)

Better than Expected.

PROS

• I thought the special effects and future technology were great. (I personally love that stuff.)

• The action was good.

• The basic message and story were good.

• Overall entertaining except for anybody looking to criticize, ridicule and condemn anything and everything.

CONS

• Jennifer Lopez over acted a lot of the time. Suggesting that her character, supposedly in her 30s, was too immature and simple minded for someone who was supposed to be a leading expert in AI and technology.

• Dialogue and story were corny sometimes.

• Another movie about AI going rogue, with a "Thanos from the Avengers" goal of saving humanity and mother nature, by wiping out a large portion of the human population.

MINOR KNITPICKY COMPLAINTS

• They said in the beginning of the movie that the planet the humans had to attack the rogue AI on, had a toxic atmosphere. To borrow a line from Pitch Meeting, "I believe they forgot about that rule" towards the end of the movie.

• I personally found it hard to believe the Jennifer Lopez character would be on the attack ship, be a leading expert on AI and technology, but not be at all familiarized with the robotic military suits the soldiers were going to wear to attack the rogue AI.

I honestly was not expecting much being that I had heard nothing about this movie, it was on Netflix, and Jennifer Lopez was the star. I just clicked on it out of curiosity and boredom, fully prepared to click off and watch anything else. It was not the greatest action scifi movie I've ever seen. But I was pleasantly and continually surprised. Thumbs up for me.

Troppo (2022)

The Premise is Stupid.

This story apparently takes place after cellphone, laptops and WiFi were widely available. But the characters on this show act like you would expect people in the 1940s or 50s would act.

Let's see. An ex-detective was falsely accused of a crime. But the charges were dropped. So the whole police department abandons him, he won't talk to anybody at his old precinct, he left his wife and daughter, and he's flirting with suicide. This doesn't seem very 2000s. Not even for a small town. Either that, and/or this ex-detective doesn't seem have the right stuff to be in law enforcement.

And a girl from a broken home, is convicted and imprisoned for murder of a popular girl. She reportedly refused to assist her defense attorney. I'm only on episode 4. But I'm going assume sooner or later we'll find out she's innocent too. But in the meantime, the whole town doesn't like her, she's banned from the local store, she cannot find anywhere to live other than the bar where she has her tattoo studio --- why doesn't she just move to another town or city, for a fresh start? She has tattooing skills. She's not stupid. (Maybe because then, there wouldn't be a show?)

Most of the time police departments and private detectives work together well and help each other out. But not on this show. What is portrayed is something that happens more in fiction than in real life. More contrived conflict and melodrama.

The police captain or chief acts like some mixture of ignorant, incompetent, biased, unprofessional, and maybe possibly corrupt.

Seems exaggerated and unrealistic for the sake of contrived conflict and melodrama.

Everything else is good. The cinematography, the scenery, most of the acting, even the dialogue --- when it's not directly supporting the stupid premise.

But instead of moving along and trying to solve the cases, they spend too much time on the struggles, angst and suffering of the two main characters. It's hard for me to feel sympathy for either one. Because it doesn't seem logical or realistic. Seems contrived for the sake of drama.

This show may be good for viewers who are unwise to the ways of the world. But they should know this show is not realistic. It's exaggerated for dramatic effect. Most police departments in a first world country like Australia are not going to abandon a seasoned detective just because they were wrongly accused of a crime, and where the charges were dropped. Most seasoned detectives are not going to refuse to talk with their departments, abandon their families and flirt with suicide just because they were wrongly accused. Especially when the charges are eventually dropped. Most small town police chiefs are not going to be as stupid and biased as this chief is. And most residents of a small town in Australia, or any first world country, are not going to act like childish high schoolers with ex cons and wrongly accused detectives.

Other reviews here claim the show is slow. I don't know if I can continue to hopefully find out the answers to the criminal cases they're trying to solve. Or if the girl is actually guilty. And I'm finding it harder and harder to continue to stomach all the struggles, angst and suffering resulting from the 1940 style bias, prejudice, and stupidity.

(Season 1, Episode 5 - There is no reason Detective Ted can't tell Amanda why he has to go to Sydney. And there is no reason Detective Ted can't tell his wife why he didn't make it to Sydney. This is a stupid writing trope to create unnecessary fake mystery and conflict. Which would never be created if the characters would just act like normal people.)

Station Eleven (2021)

What happened ?

I watched the first episode. The little girl was terrific. But I found it weird and hard to relate to. A little girl in a big city (Chicago) decides it's a good idea to go home with a strange man she just met? And abandon without notice her designated ride home? Sounds like a definite recipe for disaster.

Then they get to her house, she doesn't have a key, her parents are not home, and she doesn't have their cellphone number?

Then the first episode ends, and then episode two is decades later? Where is the cute little girl?

I watched episode two for a little bit. It did not inspire me to be interested in continuing.

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Edit; My girlfriend wanted to continue watching. So me being the boyfriend, I watched (reluctantly) with her.

• We both agreed, Tyler was a weirdo from his first appearance. As a child he asked if it would be a good idea that humans try to repopulate the Earth after an apocalyptic pandemic that killed ninety percent of all humans. Suggesting that he didn't think it would be a good idea. What was wrong with this kid?

As an adult, he kidnapps children and has them blow themselves up in suicide bombings?

I understand he was angry he never got to see his father before he died as a little kid. But this guy was straight up psychopath.

And nobody saw this?

-Other illogical storylines;

• Tyler's elderly mother agrees to leave the airport at Severn City to join her psychopathic son living homeless in the wilderness with kidnapped children who commit suicide bombings? She will be comfortable leaving one of the most luxurious places that exist post pandemic? To live in a Great Lakes wilderness that goes below freezing every winter, with snow and ice? All the people at the airport look clean and healthy. All those homeless children look like feral cats.

• Alex said she wanted to stay at the airport in Severn City because of all the creature comforts. So instead she leaves with Tyler, his elderly mother, kidnapped children who commit suicide bombings, to live homeless in the wilderness?

Stupid.

The whole Traveling Symphony idea seemed very artsy fartsy. How many people can identify with the suggestion that the best thing to do in a post pandemic apocalypse, is to form a theater group that travels around Lake Michigan performing different interpretations of Shakespeare?

Being a guy, I was turned off by the matriarchal nature of the Traveling Symphony. It was very estrogen-y. Even the male members seem like eunuchs, who seemed to have all their testosterone brow beaten out of them. The member with the most cajones seemed to be the female Kirsten.

(The little girl who played young Kirsten was terrific. Her dancing to Frank's rap song might have been the cutest thing I've ever seen. )

Outer Range (2022)

Slow, and stupid premise

In the first two episodes, Royal (Josh Brolin) decides to dump a dead body in a mysterious hole that has appeared on his property. Why?

His son got in a bar fight. His opponent died. No witnesses. And (as far as shown in first two episodes) no security cameras. The police (unless controlled by the family of the dead fighter) would never charge the victor of the fight with murder, since it was self defense.

But instead of calling the police, the Abbot family decides it's better to secretly dispose of the body. Definitely breaking the law and digging a deeper hole for themselves.

On top of that, every character in this show mumbles like a brain dead ignoramus.

Maybe if I continued, this show would explain why the characters are making such stupid decisions. But I personally don't find any character appealing or interesting.

Maybe Amazon found out through studies and surveys that most Americans are brain dead ignoramuses. And this would appeal to them.

Maybe ignorance is bliss.

Thumbs down for me.

Killing Eve (2018)

Unrealistic, illogical and stupid.

• It's done well. Jodie Comer is good as Villanelle the assassin. But this is listed as a thriller. When it should be classified as a comedy. It's very unrealistic and illogical.

• I watched until episode three where the Sandra Oh character (Eve Polastri) realizes who Villanelle is based on a previous meeting. The highly dangerous, effective and efficient assassin she's looking for. Not only that, but it is apparent to everyone, including her, that Villanelle knows who she is.

• Eve supposedly works for MI6 one of the most effective spy agencies in the world. So what does Eve do? She travels to Berlin, gets out of a car while Villanelle is sitting right there staring at her. What kind of highly trained spy is Eve? Even a normal person would have noticed Villanelle sitting right there staring at her. Especially since Villanelle is supposed to be the highly dangerous, effective and efficient assassin Eve is looking for. And especially since everyone knows Villanelle knows Eve is looking for her.

Then Eve carelessly leaves her luggage on the street out of sight. Which Villanelle easily steals. Eve is an incompetent and clueless idiot.

• I don't find Sandra Oh attractive. I don't like looking at her. Some unattractive actors and actresses play attractive characters because of portrayed personality or intelligence. But this is not Eve. She's an idiot.

• I like to watch portrayed realism or smartness. This show is neither. I already know how to be an incompetent and clueless idiot. Nothing to learn here. And I don't find clueless idiots interesting in real life. Or in fiction. This show is not entertaining for me. If I continued, it would just be annoying.

Foe (2023)

Everything was Good except the Husband Character.

I liked everything about this movie except the husband character ("Junior" played by Paul Mescal) who is so incredibly unlikable, he ruins the entire movie.

Saoirse (pronounced "Sur-Sha") Ronan ("Hen" the wife) is terrific. And obviously, her character is clearly too good for her childish, selfish, inconsiderate jerk of a husband. Even in this apocalyptic wasteland, most wives would have left this idiot. Obviously she can work and support herself. And she's portrayed as intelligent and talented.

There are other questions --- what government official shows up at night when everybody is asleep?

And I didn't buy that she fell in love with the replacement. Because he was a jerk also.

I only gave it a 7 because of the husband character. The movie moved a little slow at times. And I expected the big twist/reveal at the end. Otherwise I would have given it a 10.

I mainly watched because of Saoirse Ronan. She was terrific.

Extinction (2018)

Good premise. Annoying children.

My family grew up spending half our time in the country, hunting, fishing, and camping. My little sisters grew up hunting, fishing and skinning, gutting, and preparing wild game for consumption.

Yes, little kids and girls might cry and scream. But these little girls were flat out annoying. Absolutely no survival skills or common sense. Annoyingly whinning, screaming and crying all the time.

The youngest daughter was just plain dumb in a way most little girls would not be. When told to hide with her older sister, she disobeys her parents to retrieve her toy. After finding it in the danger zone, instead of running back to safety, she stays in harms way, crying.

Then when the family is trying to escape into the tunnels, when it's her turn, she stops half way between safety and the tunnel entrance to stare at the attacking space ship. Ends up getting her mother injured.

This is a good example of the horror movie cliche of "You need the characters to be stupid, or do stupid things, in order to advance the plot, or provide a scare."

• Bad acting. Especially Michael Pena and the little girls. (The little girls might have been just doing what the director told them to do, whinning, crying and screaming all the time.)
• Most of the movie takes place at night. Making it hard to see what's happening.

• But the big reveal/twist is cool.

I'll turn off a really bad movie. I watched this all the way to the end.

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Cyber Attack or Soap Opera ??

I thought the premise was good. Normal people on vacation at an AirB&B get caught in the middle of a cyber attack. How does one survive? What would normal people do?

The problem for me with this movie is the characters are not normal. The white wife says she doesn't like people. The black daughter is a racist. The black father has too many secrets. The white son is an annoying jerk to his little sister throughout the entire movie. The survivalist is a greedy and selfish psychopath.

Normal people don't act like this (even normal survivalists). Normal people would get to the bottom of things more quickly. Normal people would work together in an emergency.

This is the problem with Hollywood for me. They don't make movies about normal people. Every character has to have emotional, psychological, or mental problems. Or be gay, or trans, or woke, or a psychopath, etc.

I thought the premise was interesting. But the soap opera laid on top of it took away from what could have been a good movie. I didn't care about the characters because they were so abnormally screwed up. I found their personality problems annoying and distracting.

The cyber attack and impending civil war would have been enough conflict for me.

• The deer were supposed to be symbolic of something. But totally unrealistic. Deer never have, and never would act like that.

• Flamingos live in the tropics and subtopics. No reason to ever fly to New York. Maybe they escaped from a zoo because of the cyber attack.

• Lyme disease doesn't make your teeth fall out. Especially the next day.

This movie makes some good points, like how dependent most of us are on modern technology --- GPS, Internet, cellphones, computers, streaming, etc. And how when it all goes down, how lost most of us are.

But although I watched it all the way to the end, the unnecessary --- and seemingly obligatory soap opera took away from my enjoyment of what could have been a very interesting and entertaining movie --- for me.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023)

Monsters are a backdrop to a soap opera.

The monsters and special effects look good. But the main story is about a girl who learns her father had two wives and two children in two separate countries.

The secondary story is about the (evil) Monarch company or agency. That is supposedly full of corruption and/or incompetence.

This seems to be a repeated formula for many recent "scifi" movies and TV shows. Have a drama about characters, with the monsters, or aliens as a backdrop to the drama about the characters. The formula is --- people drama, drama, drama. Then throw in a little monster or alien action. Then back to the people drama, drama, drama. Apple TV's "Invasion" is the same. (And if I'm not mistaken, one of the Godzilla movies was like this. You know the one where we barely ever saw Godzilla.)

Anyway, the girl finds out she has a brother in Japan. This brother's ex-girlfriend is portrayed as a depressed, cynical, pessimistic, immature, irresponsible, whiny baby. She's awful to the brother when they first meet. She's awful to the brother when he ask for help. She's even awful to the airport check in lady, as if it's her fault she's even in Alaska.

She voluntarily follows the brother and sister through numerous dangerous quests. Including flying a stolen plane with two men they don't know, one they had to break out of a detention facility, to a frozen tundra where they get attacked by a giant monster. She keeps blaming the ex boyfriend for ruining her life, when nobody forced her to do anything. She could have checked out at any step.

Anyway, after being told the part of San Francisco that has been destroyed by a monster attack is off limits and guarded by the military, the three "kids" decide to sneak in with help from the star's mother (who told them not to go) and her boyfriend. While sneaking around in the dark, and narrowly escaping military patrols, the two siblings decide its a good idea to sing, dance and laugh loudly. They almost get caught again. As usual in these types of monster movies and TV shows, the military is portrayed as stupid and incompetent.

Most of the first 5 episodes are spent dealing with melodrama over the star's family problems, people representing or dealing with Monarch, and all the main characters fighting with each other. Every now and then you get a monster.

First of all, this is not scifi. Which is what it is advertised as. Secondly, it's really a drama. And as a drama, it's not really that good.

4 out of 10 for me.

May December (2023)

Boring and slow.

I thought it was boring and slow. They kept playing dramatic music like something horrible and shocking was going to happen. But nothing ever did.

I understand it's supposed to be about the Mary Kay Letourneau situation. Indicating it was an unhealthy relationship. And how older women can take unfair advantage of younger men.

I thought technically it was done well. The acting was good. I like Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore. And Charles Melton got a lot of raves on his performance.

But it seemed like this movie never went anywhere. I kept waiting for something to happen. But nothing ever did.

I think viewers will enjoy this movie more, if they know --- going in --- it's supposed to represent the Mary Kay Letourneau situation. Otherwise like me, they may be left holding out their hands as if to ask, "What was that supposed to be?"

No Hard Feelings (2023)

Hard not to like Jennifer Lawrence.

I watched this movie in it's entirety, out of curiosity. And I was more than prepared to turn it off, if it was too stupid.

I liked the music. Some of the jokes were funny and clever. But many just fell flat. The general message of --- get to know somebody first before sleeping with them --- is good. Although I believe there is nothing wrong with bedding strangers if you find them attractive, or if you are really in the mood --- sometimes.

But I thought the premise was stupid. Nothing wrong with helicopter parents hiring an older woman to bring their overprotected and inexperienced son out of his shell. But, the Jennifer Lawrence character comes across as too mature and intelligent to not just see this as a "friends with benefits" situation. As a opposed to an actual "fake" boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. She can mentor him, teach him how to deal with the world as an adult, and even sleep with him. But no need to pretend to be his actual girlfriend.

I think the holding hands and kissing in public scenes were cringy, inappropriate and unnecessary. Older people and younger people become friends and have sex all the time in real life. But they don't hold hands and kiss romantically in public, if they are just friends with benefits.

This movie is better than most stuff out there. But it wasn't great. The acting, the music, the cinematography were good. But, as is often the case, the writing is usually the reason most movies are --- not great, not good or just plain bad.

Solaris (2002)

Annoyingly Vague

Basically this movie is about a mentally ill man who falls in love with a mentally ill woman. And they both destroy each other. As another reviewer said, it's basically a 30 minute Twilight Zone episode stretched out into a hour and a half movie. Super slow, stupid and annoying vague.

I liked the opening segment on Earth with it's future world technology. But as soon as the the George Clooney character (Kelvin) gets a mysterious video message from outer space, I became annoyed.

Who agrees to go to outer space to fix a problem that the customer/client won't identify? I have my own business. I wouldn't even go across town to fix a problem the customer/client wouldn't identify, explain, or talk about. But this guy agrees to go to outer space? Stupid.

Defenders may say they couldn't tell him what was going on because they didn't know. They knew. They knew way more than they were telling him. They weren't stupid. Especially the Gordon (Viola Davis) character. The writers didn't want us the viewers to know. This is a cheap and lazy way to try to create mystery. Stupid and unrealistic.

Then he gets to the space station and still, as I said, nobody will explain what's going on. Intelligent people don't operate like this. It makes no logical sense. Stupid.

I'm giving it a 4 because it's done well and it looks good. But I'm always immediately turned off by intentional vagueness (or vaguery) in movies, in a lazy attempt to create mystery.

(I watched two copies of this movie. Both had no title page or opening credits. That's weird.)

(I haven't seen every George Clooney movie and TV show. But everything I've seen him in, he's always brooding like his character is carrying around some heavy duty internal baggage. He's never upbeat, energetic, enthusiastic, happy, etc. --- ER, Up in the Air, Midnight Sky and this.)

She (Rheya - Natascha McElhone) meets Kelvin. They fall madly in love. They get married. She gets pregnant. She has an abortion without telling him she's pregnant. He finds out. He's understandably angry. They have an argument where she says, "I didn't know you felt this way". How would she know how he felt if she never told him she was pregnant, and she never asked him how he felt? They're married !!! It's his child !!!

Stupid.

Anyway, during the argument she also tells him, "Don't leave me. I can't make it without you." He leaves temporarily because he's angry. She kills herself. He returns to find her dead.

The movie starts with him after her death living life depressed because she's gone. Then he goes to space by request to fix a problem he has no information about. She appears constructed off his memory (by the planet Solaris). Instead of returning to Earth, he decides to stay on the space station with her image, because he rather live with her, than be alone on Earth.

He is an educated man (professional psychologist). He's good looking --- he's George Clooney for goodness sake !!! But he rather stay alone in outer space with a fake image of a wack job, than return to Earth and fall in love with a mentally healthy woman?

Stupid.

Totally Killer (2023)

Stupid

Julie Bowen (Modern Family) is in this.

But --- in the first ten minutes the Julie Bowen character (the star actress's mother) gets killed in the most cliche, trope, and dumb manner. Inspite of being obsessed with the Sweet Sixteen Killer, having trained in martial arts, self defense, having hidden guns around the house, and doing a great job fighting off a bigger, stronger man --- she makes the Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween movie cliche mistake of not finishing off the killer. She stabs him once, and then crawls off crying and distraught. Allowing him to pop back up and kill her.

She's in her house. A murderer just attacked and tried to kill her. It's perfectly legal, moral and ethical to use deadly force against someone who's trying to kill you.

Stupid.

The Morning Show (2019)

Season one is great. Season two is terrible

I was riveted through the first 9 episodes of season one. Although I was disappointed in the finale (episode 10, season 1). I thought the finale was extremely unrealistic and illogical. Maybe it was an exercise in existentialism - "That's not the way it really happened. It's just the way it seemed.'"

Season two has digressed into nothing more than a melodramatic soap opera.

I've never been a fan of Jennifer Anniston. I never found her good looking (she's not ugly). And I've never found her extremely talented (she's not terrible). I just never thought she was a big deal.

But her character in this show is so miserable, she takes away from the show. Obviously she is a narcissistic irresponsible baby who's destroyed her family, and is destroying herself. And she's too stupid to realize it. But why make her a main character? Who can stomach her for any length of time? Season one doesn't spend too much time on her.

Most normal people are happy to get a job that doesn't make them miserable, and will take care of them and their families. And they retire as soon as they can afford it.

The Jennifer Anniston character is never happy starting with the first episode. She hates her job and industry. Why doesn't she just quit? She's made enough money to retire and live multiple lifetimes in filthy opulence. She's made more than enough to take care of her family. Why is she still working a job she hates? Because she's an idiot. An extremely annoying idiot.

Season two is more time with the Jennifer Anniston character. I could never stand it when she is on screen. I just want to punch her in the face and tell her, "Everything is not about you. Grow up and think of somebody else for a change. Instead of your self-anointed "most precious" feelings that nobody else cares about."

Season one had many different characters, plotlines and issues it dealt with. Season two has just slowed down to spend too much time with the stupid Steve Carell character still not being able to figure out what he did wrong. And the Jennifer Anniston character self emoting over what an idiot she is. Nobody cares anymore.

And the Reese Witherspoon character was one of the few characters in season one who was not blinded by power, money and fame. She just wanted to do the right thing. But now in season two she's just as bad, shallow and putrid as the Jennifer Anniston character.

The most interesting characters in season one are all gone in season two --- the girl who killed herself taking drugs, the British girl who quit because she couldn't deal with complications and ramifications of her naive mistake of having an affair with a co worker, and the season one principled Reese Witherspoon character, who is now selfish, petty and childish in season two.

I give a 9 to season one.

A 1 to season two.

Half way between is my rating of 5.

I'm on the season two episode where maybe the Steve Carell character crashes and dies in Italy. I wish the Jennifer Anniston character was with him. Because I'm sick of both. Not sure I'm gonna continue. The show has gotten so petty, following insufferable morons and their ignorance and narcissism. Nobody cares !!! Get back to the interesting issues !!!

I would recommend season one to anybody. But season two just seems to be for soap opera lovers who like melodramatic pettiness.

Gone (2012)

Entertaining, but ridiculous premise.

I agree with other reviewers here that Amanda Seyfried's performance is terrific. And this movie is generally entertaining.

But I found the premise ridiculous. It's outdated. Maybe in the old days, but I can't see today any US police department treating an alleged female victim of assault this way. Especially since there was an active serial killer operating at the time.

They are more interested in catching the alleged victim than the alleged perpetrator.

And nobody ever even cares that her sister is missing.

Ridiculous.

But if you can get past the unrealistic premise, Amanda Seyfried is fantastic. And the movie is generally entertaining. No slow points.

Unlike other reviewers, I wasn't bothered by lack of development of the other characters. Seyfried was more than capable of carrying the whole film.

And like a lot of action movies, I wouldn't recommend any victim of a violent assault do what the Seyfried character does in this movie. Especially in the final act. Extremely dangerous. And highly unlikely to be successful.

But hey, that is what movies are for, right? Escape from reality?

Based on a True Story (2023)

Kinda silly.

I like Kaley Cuoco. She was great in Big Bang Theory. But these last two projects --- The Flight Attendant, and now this --- have been kind of silly. They were both dark comedies. So I guess if you keep that in mind, and watch with tongue in cheek . . .

I think I only watched these last two projects because of Kaley Cuoco. I think she is beautiful and a good actress. But personally I think she looks better with blonde hair. And I never like bangs in people faces. (She has a beautiful face. Why hide it behind those stupid bangs?) Maybe it is a creative choice.

I find it hard to believe Ava (Kaley Cuoco) would never realize she lost the burner phone in Las Vegas until the house party back in L. A. She was obsessed with the podcast.

It's done well. Good acting. But kind of silly.

Just like The Flight Attendant, 6 out of 10 for me.

Love & Death (2023)

Elizabeth Olsen is a superstar.

I think this program would have been good no matter who played the starring role. Based on a true story, great acting, directing, cinematography, and music. I loved the music.

But I agree with other reviewers here at IMDB, I can never take my eyes off the screen when Elizabeth Olsen is on. I've only seen her in Avenger movies, Wandavision, and now this. She even plays a bad person in this. But still, she is gorgeous and a great actress. She has star power.

I binge watched all the episodes from beginning to end. I was riveted. I don't see how it could have been done any better.

10 out of 10 for me.

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Bad writing.

• The pro environment, pro indigenous, anti Earth human message is too heavy handed.

• Who is sponsoring Miles Quaritch's trip back to Pandora? His whole purpose is to kill Jake Sully? Someone is paying to ship Quaritch and his men back to Pandora just so he could settle a personal score? He has the power to just take over everything, destroy expensive equipment, and kill people?

• Movie is too long. Many boring slow spots. Could have been told in two hours. Three hours is too long.

• Movie is over acted. Especially the part of Neyteri. When she is not screaming and crying like an emotional basket case, she's being a racist and hypocrite. She loves, married and had children with Jake --- who's an Earth human. But she doesn't like Spider because --- he's an Earth human. She even threatens to kill him towards the end of the movie.

• In the last movie the Navi kicked out the Earth humans. Now they are not only back, they have built stations and rail lines? And the Navi just let them share their planet? And destroy their wildlife? (I'm beginning to see how and why the American Indians lost the Americas to the Europeans. Inferior technology, no organization, and terrible long term strategy.)

Rating is for the special effects. But like a lot of movies, the writing is bad.

65 (2023)

Good B movie.

This movie is fine if you want to see dinosaurs, special effects, action, drama, etc. But it's nothing special.

It has a formulaic cliche plot. Where was this guy going? What was his mission? I must have missed that. He's got a wife and special needs child at home. He crashes on a planet (Earth 65 million years ago). Only survivor other than him is a nine year old who doesn't speak English.

Dinosaurs, special effects, action --- pile on the conflict for dramatic effect --- nonstop action --- "How are they going to get out of this?" --- formula.

Not really much drama. You know they are both going to survive. Only dinosaurs seen are meat eating predators. Where are the plant eating herbivores?

Why was the adult character not wanting to let the girl see a picture of his little girl? Doesn't he realize it's only natural for a little girl to show an interest in his little girl?

Why did the girl not want to go with him after he saved her life? Wouldn't she be clinging to him for safety and protection?

He tells her to launch the escape shuttle when he's being chased by a dinosaur? Does she know how to operate the escape shuttle? Does she understand English now? (That must be some hellafied tough shuttle to survive a crash landing on a planet that separates it from the mothership. And a fall off a cliff.)

The dinosaurs, special effects and action were cool. But like many action movies, the plot is stupid, overly melodramatic, contrived, illogical, etc.

She Said (2022)

I thought it was great.

I liked everything about this film. I thought the acting, the camera work, the script, the pacing, and especially the music. I thought the music was terrific.

I started watching it just out of curiosity because it was being advertised on the Amazon Firestick home page. And it was so good, I watched it all the way to the end. All two hours and nine minutes. I do not remember any slow points.

I especially liked the way the journalists were portrayed as professional. Not socially driven. Yes, sometimes the Jodi Kantor character would break down and cry. But journalists have feelings, they get emotional. And she needed certain sources to come forward for her story to have the impact she wanted. Of course she cared about the issue. But she also cared about the story and her career. And all the rest of the journalistic team rarely showed any emotion. Mostly just professional and experienced desire to break a good story. I don't think this movie is sappy or over emotional.

I didn't give it 10 because, although I thought it was great, from an entertainment perspective this is is not as entertaining as movie blockbusters with action, violence and sex. Not that I thought this film should have any of that. But the potential audience for a movie like this is not as big as some of the big entertainment blockbusters. It has a smaller targeted group of viewers.

But still, 9 is a great rating. Thumbs up. I highly recommend this to anyone who cares about this issue. I care because it's not right for rich and powerful men to sexually abuse, oppress and control women. I've always valued morals, ethics, and doing the right thing over money and power. Not that money and power are not important.