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Hit Man (2023)
It's not an action thriller, it's a dumb rom-com
"Hit Man" (June 2024, R, 110-min, Netflix) The previews for this lead you to believe it'd be a fun action thriller; instead, it's a dumb rom-com with Glen Powell playing a role that would normally go to Matthew McConaughey and Adria Arjona in a role fit for Salma Hayek, and Adria's resemblance to Salma is not to be mistaken. However, the story is flimsy with alot made of the chemistry between these two, but really, how hard is to act like a pair of hormonal teens? But that doesn't really work does it, since they're comparatively OLD. Look, I'm salty because I feel deceived, but if you want a harmless date movie with your lovely then have at it. You guys can rate it high, but this one hit me in the wrong place.
Sunny (2024)
Not so Sunny in Japan
"Sunny" (Sep 2024, 10 eps, 35+ mins, Apple) You know and love Rashida Jones from The Office, Parks & Recreation and even Angie Tribeca - all comedy roles in comedy shows. However, she doesn't want to bank on that anymore, she wants to go all drama on us now. And in this show, she's not an ensemble player like those other shows, this show is laser-focused on her character, "Suzie", though the show gets its title from secondary character, "Sunny", a very colloquial sounding helper bot whose all-white presentation looks like a style-aesthetic Apple would promote. Guys, I forced myself through four boring episodes before jumping to the finale. The presentation is very dry and boring. Much of the dialogue is in Japanese (filmed in Kyoto), so you're going to be reading a lot of subtitles. In fact, Rashida is the only westerner in the cast. Look, I tried to be interested, I tried to follow her story, her concerns, but I was simply bored. The pacing is glacial and there's very little action so this is going to appeal to very few people regardless of the wild shilling you see in this forum. The only way this show gets renewed is if Rashida, as an EP, forced Apple to do so in their contract, because in any other situation, this series is already cancelled like "Time Bandits" (Apple) and "Kaos" (Netflix).
Industry (2020)
A festival of nastiness
"Industry" (S01, 8 eps, 50+ mins, TV-MA, HBO) This review is for its first season. I waited several years to watch this because (a) the initial set of reviews weren't good, and (2) I wanted to see if it endured for several seasons. Having gone three seasons, I figured, huh, must be pretty good right? Guys, I could only make it through four eps, and even that was forced. This show is an exhibition of the worst of people: their shallowness, their backstabbing, their carnal appetites, their lack of any moral compass, and the lack of accountability. Again, this is a hard TV-MA, you're in for swearing and full on sexual situations which brings it to the brink of pornography. And it's not even limited to hetero, this is the Age of Woke so you're seeing lgbtq mixed in all this, too. The overall plot itself depicting young investment traders in a major London firm was fertile ground for storytelling, but wow, did they ever take that in directions that will never be mainstream, so if you're in that niche demographic, enjoy your festival of horrid nastiness.
Only Murders in the Building (2021)
My interest was murdered by this
"Only Murders in the Building" (S01, Aug 2021, 10-eps, 30+ mins, Hulu) This review is for its first season. I waited several years to watch this because (a) the initial set of reviews weren't good, and (2) I wanted to see if it endured for several seasons. So given that it's completed 4 seasons, and will get a 5th, I was like, well, it must be pretty good to endure, right? So the first ep was pretty good, but then the second AND third eps were significantly poorer and an acting and/or directing pattern was establishing itself. Martin Short was overacting and over-expressing. Steve Martin (age 76 at the time) just came across as old and tired. But worst, and this is a continuing critique to this day, is the acting ability of Selena Gomez. Her problem is the exact opposite of my observation for Martin Short; she underacts, undervoices, and in general underwhelms. Her character is just unappealing in all dimensions. But you know what all three of them are EPs of the show so no one can remove or replace them! So if, like me, you can't get past even a few episodes, you cannot hope for a new cast at some point, you have only one option, stop watching the show and move on, which is exactly what I'm doing.
Hellboy: The Crooked Man (2024)
This Hellboy, a made for tv presentation
"Hellboy: The Crooked Man" (Sep 2024, R, $1.3M w/w, $20M budget) As you can see from these numbers, this film didn't do well at all, losing money for its investors. With this low budget, C-list cast, and middling, adolescent plot, this should've been a straight-to-tv production for something like the Shudder channel. And this is another movie I've seen recently that should be rated PG13 instead of R, I don't get it. The plot itself had two storylines, the capture of a monster spider and the confrontation of the wicked Crooked Man. That latter story involved a bunch of hillbilly witchcraft and zombie-ism. If you're a "Yellowstone" fan, you might enjoy seeing Jefferson White ("Jimmy") in this.
Subservience (2024)
Came for Megan Fox, stayed for ... Megan Fox
"Subservience" (Aug 2024, R, $250k w/w) Make no mistake, this is a showcase for Megan Fox who hasn't starred in a mainstream film since 2016's TMNT (- not that this is a mainstream film). She looks as hot as ever (closing in on 40) and you're hopeful given the R rating that you'd see a bit more of her, but AFAIC this rates a PG13. And given that it made nothing at all at the boxoffice - apparently not even released in the US - it would've attracted more viewers as PG13. Anyway, it gets a middling rating from me since it's your typical low-budget, lovely-helperbot-turns-murderbot plot. It doesn't even really utilize present-day AI tropes or tech in the story, so that's a bad miss.
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
This is Ryan Reynolds unleashed
"Deadpool & Wolverine" (Aug 2024, R (DLV), 2hr, $1.3B w/w) Ryan co-wrote and stars in this explosion of violence and gore, omg. This is a hard R due to suggestive dialogue, tremendously and continuously foul language, and extreme violence and gore end to end. I'm not a parent but I must sound like one but you guys need to know this is NOT for kids. There's a continuing profluence of stabbing, goring, dismemberment, and decapitations, it's just horrific when you think about it. But this is what you get when Disney unleashes Ryan Reynolds and Shawn Levy (director) to make them money since they've lost so much due to their DEI experiments. Ryan's "Deadpool" makes incessant snide remarks against Fox and other entertainment structures. However, if you don't like Deadpool's constant smart assery, Wolverine delivers an awesome 2+ minute takedown right to his face at 1hr 2m in, it's fantastic. In fact, throughout the film Wolverine is just disgusted with Deadpool, barely softening at the end. Whereas many reviewers lament the lack of a plot, I see a clear story there, I don't get the confusion, and it's a pretty good story of character redemption. There were many tremendous cameos by stars you're really happy to see but let me talk about the Cassandra Nova character for a moment. She looms large in this film as the main antagonist; she's the sister of X-Men's professor Xavier. Now, she's deliciously evil with awesome abilities but she appears with absolutely no sex appeal, intentionally apparently. I really miss that dimension of character portrayal but these are the times in which we live now, androgyny trumps sex appeal, ugh, whatever. Having said all that, the film is really a lot of fun for its irreverent, witty dialogue but the violence/action is beyond what's really needed, it's next level psychotic. And that's why I cut this from a 10 rating to a 7.
Operation Avalanche (2016)
The Why and How of the Apollo 11 moon faux-landing
"Operation Avalanche" (2016, (soft) R, 90-mins) This is a low-budget mockumentary about why and how the US moon landing July 1969 was allegedly faked. Matt Johnson writes, stars, and directs this effort presumably with other friends/colleagues who play themselves in this drama set in 1967 even though the "landing" occurs in '69, weird since this doesn't play out over two years. Anyway, I could've sworn that David Blue ("Stargate: Universe") was in the role of Matt, but they only look alike apparently, kinda like how co-star Owen Williams looks really similar to Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory"). Also how this movie was rated R is beyond me, I didn't see anything rating higher than PG. I'm going to go SPOILER at this point since most of you won't bother to watch this given the radical premise and I want to remember my experience of it. Matt and Owen are newly minted CIA operatives posted at NASA as documentarians to uncover a mole. Instead, they find out that NASA is at least five years from being able to land on the moon! So ambitious videographer Matt, pitches the CIA director (yeh right) that they can film an ersatz landing experience which gets the title name. Much drama and intrigue ensues but he's successful though alot of people around him are off'ed by the CIA. It's one of those movies to watch when you're sitting around going through your mail, paying bills, playing string with your cats, etc.
The Perfect Couple (2024)
Perfect Couple aren't perfect, and neither is their portrayal
"The Perfect Couple" (Sep 2024, single season, 6 eps, 42-60 mins, Netflix) This is your typical, middling Netflix fare. Decent plot hobbled by B/C-list cast, unknowns, and ONE A-lister to attract a decent set of viewers. There's a committee of writers for the series, so how does that work well? At least there's only one director to keep some element of the show consistent, though she isn't particularly distinguished for any prior job. So this show is just a plague of average and it doesn't help that it comes off as a cheap imitation of the far superior White Lotus anthology from Max. Thankfully this show was only granted a single season, and when I say thankfully that's really tongue in cheek since we all know that 95% of Netflix shows only get a single season, and the few that get more, have two to three year waits in between - what a horrible model for us viewers. Anyway, let me talk about the show itself for a mome. I quickly tired of its gimmick whereby the writers give a lot of filler, then offer a vital bit of info, then drop something of importance right at the end of an episode. Such a manipulative technique was so transparent that I skipped eps 3 and 4 and went to the middle of 5 and finished out 6. And let me tell you though the reveal was somewhat surprising, it was also disappointing, unfulfilling, and capped off by a boring, useless "6 months later" epilogue. I rate this 4-stars because it's not horrible like so many others these days, but it's not really worth your time either, it's so skippable, which is my recommendation to you.
Kaos (2024)
Kaos, a metaphor for its production
Update: shortly after I posted this, Netflix recognized my wisdom and cancelled this atrocious show which shouldn't have happened in the first place.
"Kaos" (Aug 2024, 8 eps, 45-55 mins, Netflix) I am so tired of saying the same thing over and over again about these streaming services. They keep throwing money at B/C list actors and directors though trying to draw you in with maybe one recognizable talent like Jeff Goldblum in this case. The concept of Greek mythology in a modern setting is intriguing and I can see how Netflix execs nodded yes, we can see this work. However, they typically let things go at that with no quality follow through and you end up with this waste of an effort. Then there's just so much laziness evident in the production. Greek gods look like ordinary humans, absolutely no effort to increase their size or distinguish their look or costuming. Mount Olympus shows as the gardens of Villa d'Este in Tivoli, Italy and the interiors used the Villalís Palace in Alcobendas, Spain. In other words, production staff went more for hotel-esque glamour rather than Greek architectural authenticity, disgustingly lazy again. The characters of the Greek gods are written as childish, immature, shallow, and petulant. How long do you think you can last watching such irredeemable crapola? I made it just past halfway before I started throwing things at the idiotic characters.
Wolfs (2024)
Wolfs, could be the four's worst effort yet
"Wolfs" (Sep 2024, R/violence, 105-mins, Apple) Look at the reviews here. We're all saying the same thing. The director and three stars are A-list. This should've been an outstanding experience. Instead, it's a phoned-in performance by all four who moonwalk away with tens of millions for what turns out to be a very low budget (after removing their monies) crime thriller. In fact, all these Hollywood A/B-listers are taking these new studios to the cleaners, and the studios don't care! They've got BILLIONS to simply throw away on their matinee idols, who in turn stage sleepwalk, turpid performances for more money than they've ever gotten. In this waste of an effort, George and Brad play to type as too-cool-for-school cleaners who exert no effort in their character portrayals. I can't tell you how many times I was so utterly bored that I just kept leaning on the skip-fwd button. Then at the very end when they try to convince each other they've figured out who set them up for this, you just don't care anymore because you're either vacuuming your floor, or playing string with your cat, or waking up the third time from falling asleep. It gets my 3 stars because the first 20-mins were ok, they spent alot of pop tunes for the soundtrack, it was good to see the possibilities of a George and Brad pairing though it was a head-fake all along.
Kinds of Kindness (2024)
Kinds of Weirdness (first part spoiler free, then spoilers)
"Kinds of Kindness" (June 2024, R, 155 mins, $15M w/w) This part of the review is spoiler free. This was a limited release in only a quarter of theatres of a typical wide release film, yet at $15M worldwide it didn't come close to recovering its costs, and that's because this is one strange film, rather it's an anthology of three stories in this one film, each about 50-mins long, so you could watch this as a mini-series if you want since there's nothing really tying one to the other except for the actors and the character referred to as RMF whose initials we never find out. Oh, and prepare yourself for discordant piano ala "Eyes Wide Shut" throughout the film, and for weird expressions of love regardless of gender. Finally, the topics and scenes of this film aren't for everyone so read through this to see if you should spare them from it. Spoilers now follow: Anyway, the first vignette is titled "The Death of RMF" which showcases Jesse Plemons as "Robert" as a corporate cult drone of Willem Dafoe as "Raymond". When he doesn't murder RMF as directed, he is (soft) cancelled by Raymond with a kiss on the lips, though Robert doesn't readily accept this. He reveals to his wife all the controlling things Raymond had him do to them including poisoning her with RU486 as child prevention. She runs off and he positions himself to date Emma as "Rita" who turns out to "work for" Raymond also. She misses their first date because she was in a car wreck involving RMF(!) who's critically injured this time, so Robert, disguised as a nurse, pulls the comatose RMF from his bed, drops him in the parking log, runs him over twice(!) then returns to Raymond's place to tell him - uncancelled. "RMF is Flying" is the next story with Jesse "Daniel" a cop whose wife Liz (Emma) is lost at sea. His friends, Neil and Martha, come over for dinner, and he wants to relive Liz's memory by watching a video with them, but that video is a group sex video of the four of them! As it turns out Liz is rescued, returns, but Daniel soon suspects it's someone that looks like her but doesn't behave like her, she's an imposter of some sort. The RMF character only has a moment when referred to as the helicopter pilot who saved her. When he wants her to leave, she won't, so he asks her to do preposterous things that end up killing her - problem solved, though another Liz shows up at that very moment - very Black Mirrorey. The final story is "RMF eats a Sandwich" which actually isn't a reveal until a post-credits scene. This one has a lot of topless scenes so... Jesse is "Andrew" and Emma is "Emily" as they search for someone who can revive dead people. In this one, Emily drives a purple Challenger SRT as if she's a stunt driver. She recalls from her dreams that they're looking for a certain woman who's an twin of another woman. They find her and wham, she revives a dead guy at the morgue! And the guy she revived - RMF! Then for 35-secs Emma as "Emily" does a wild, sexy (though eyes closed) solo dance in a parking lot - wow. There is another family cult subplot to this one that's pretty weird, too, involving date rape and presumably abortion again. This whole film experience is really off the rails in many aspects.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Title is from a quote of Alexander Pope
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004, (soft) R, 105-mins, $74M w/w) You know, I had never watched this movie before, so on its 20th anniversary year, it's free to watch on Youtube so why not?
Kate Winslet plays "Clementine" who within the first 15-mins seems miscast in this role which should've been played by someone much younger, early to mid 20s given her capricious, immature nature. It's weird how she just steamrolls herself into "Joel's" (Jim Carrey, also too old) life and he's not at all suspicious, she's got no friends, no other life it seems besides attaching herself to him, out of a seeming desperation. Anyway, Lacuna is a business that erases your memories of someone. Clementine erased hers of him, without him knowing, and he found out after she acted like she didn't know him. So he does the same, and the movie is much about his erase procedure where he's apparently semi-conscious, so he's reliving memories of his time with her while he's hearing the memory techs casual banter in his room during the procedure, and of course, he doesn't understand where these voices are coming from. But somehow he realizes he's in the memory-erase procedure and he also realizes that one of the techs had helped to erase Clementine's memories, fell for her, and is now dating her and using Joel's intimate letters/cards to Clementine as his own! Now, this realization apparently makes the automated erase procedure go awry, so Stan (tech) has to stop partying with Mary (admin asst) since Dr Howard is coming over to resolve the problem. They're worried that he'll know they're stoned and been goofing off, but they clean up pretty well. However, surely Dr Howard would've smelled the marijuana all over the small apartment. Then a stupid thing happens between Mary and Dr Howard and it turns out Mary had erased past intimacies with him! She goes rogue and sends memory-erase interview tapes to everyone who's had the procedure including Joel and Clementine.
So in the end, what's it all about? It's a love story, the usual one where you're together, you break up, then you get back together, but this one has the memory-erase twist thrown in to make it different, but it's the same love story. Oh, if you do happen to watch this again, make a drinking game of how many times Clementine changes her hair color.
Hotel Cocaine (2024)
Doesn't come across authentically
"Hotel Cocaine" (June 2024, 10 eps, 45-60min, MGM+) This show has a great premise, right, big glamorous hotel in Miami during the cocaine-fueled disco years. What could go wrong? Well, they could make it boring. I'm bored. How is that freakin possible?! There are TV-MA scenes with topless showgirls but those are just sprinkled into episodes, they're not an organic part of it. The series is chiefly concerned with Michael Chiklis' narco cop character leaning on the manager of the hotel to betray his narco brother to avoid prosecution and a fatherless for his daughter, so that's not the problem per se, but it's in its execution and that's the fault of the committee of six writers and three directors which makes the show vulnerable to implausibilities (writing) and inconsistent characterizations (directing). I just couldn't endure to the end, I was both bored and aggravated.
Time Bandits (2024)
Such a disappointing attempt
"Time Bandits" (Aug 2024, 10 eps, 30-45min, Paramount for AppleTV) Lisa Kudrow headlines a cast of mostly unknowns, though you might recognize Charlyne Yi from the old "House" cranky medical doctor series. There's also Taika Watiti playing the Supreme Being as well as exec producing and directing it, as well as his good friend Jemaine Clement who also exec produces, directs, and plays opposite Taika as "Evil". Having said all that, this should measure up to be an outstanding series! What could go wrong?! Well, enough did that it got cancelled, immediately. We didn't have to wait months or a year, the studio made a quick and clear decision - no more of that. Here's what did go wrong. Lisa barely made an effort in this show, and she looks tired at 60+, so bad casting choice. Kal Tuck as "Kevin" turned in the best performance of the supporting cast, but the others were lackluster and boring. In fact, the episodes themselves were boring. I'm here to tell you that to waste less of your time you should watch the first two eps which set up the long-story, then just skip to the final episode because all the others are just fillers leading nowhere. And jeez, they refer to themselves as the time bandits incessantly! The originals never did that, and these guys are just annoying about it! That and so much else of this falls on Taika and Jemaine as the creative forces behind this. For whatever reason they only gave this series a half effort which resulted in immediate cancellation no matter how others want to optimistically spin it. Production values and special effects are the only reasons this gets 3 stars from me.
Sugar (2024)
John Sugar, alien-as-human PI
"Sugar" (S01, 8 eps, 35+ mins, Apple) Colin Farrell stars in the title role, as made-up sounding as it is. He's pretty good in this, as is the rest of the cast (minus one, below), though I expected more of Amy Ryan and her character. Head writer/creator Mark Proto' has some decent movie titles behind him so he tried this 8-ep series and I think he kind of failed in that. There were too many boring lulls in this, he just didn't get the pacing right. Also, much has been made of this being a retro noir-type of PI show, but to be true to that type, it needs to be shot in B/W with a fair amount of rain scenes - neither of which was utilized here. Sugar drives around in an immaculate '65 conv vette which is "off" given the present-day setting, and his status as a PI - they typically cruise in beaters. Anyway, the story itself is his determination to find a missing young woman despite taking "friendly fire" so to speak. "Ruby", his handler/agent, is played by Kirby Howell who just doesn't fit the role, sorry. The editing is pretty bad, too, as you'll notice certain skips/jumps in the story that make you think "did I miss something?!" The story's conclusion is fine, not great, but there's an epilogue that ties to his alien origin (not a spoiler, just an attribute of his character) and that's just not satisfying either. In fact, it's just not enough to make you desire a season two if Apple even grants it.
Presumed Innocent (2024)
Presumed Innocent presumes you're gullible
"Presumed Innocent" (mini-series, 8 eps, 45-mins, Apple+) This single-season series stars Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role as a Chicago prosecutor ("Rusty") whose life is turned upside down by the murder of his colleague and paramour, Carolyn Polhemus, as he's quickly named the prime suspect. The main problem with this story is plausibility from beginning through the end. There are too many circumstances and scenes/scenarios that just don't ring true, that are just dumb. The Rusty character is wholly unlikeable, he has so many flaws yet each of three other family members support him when they have every reason to distance themselves from him if not outright move out! But the worst of it is the final episode when we learn the verdict and its aftermath, both of which you just KNOW would not play out in real life that way, it just screams "this is so dumb!" BTW, Apple gets its DIE credits/compensation with the mixed race (B/W) marriage AND children of Rusty and Barbara. Notice these M/R relationships are always the polarizing B/W and never other race combos, wonder why? Please save yourself the time and aggravation of watching this throwaway show.
The Union (2024)
Halle Berry ruins this
"The Union" (8/16/24, 100-mins, PG13, Netflix) Mark Wahlberg gets top billing over Halle Berry in this spy/action/romancer though it seems more that Halle is the film's lead. The film's title comes from the secret agency that "Roxanne" (Halle) recruits "Mike" (Wahlberg) into, and it's a blue-collar reference since it's an agency comprised of trade-level agents instead of those from Ivy-league schools. So that's a different take on inclusivity. This film is getting a lot of low scoring in this forum and I understand that though I don't grade as severely. Netflix apparently just throws cash at projects and hopes for the best. This project has good, solid casting but the director is almost exclusively from tv shows so he's not really up to doing this feature-length film. But much as it pains me to say this, Halle Berry largely contributes to the film's problems. She's approaching 60 but tries to come off as 40-ish with her sassy, cute haircut. Her 34yo body from "Swordfish" has given way to a pudgy waist and bigger "trunk". This affects her movement, her running, her action sequences, and it just doesn't work unfortunately. Wahlberg, at 53, is still in fine shape and performs well in his role though his romance with "Roxanne" is awkward and a bit weird. I wouldn't characterize this effort as a waste but if you do watch, I hope this sets your expectations low enough.
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Mia W almost ruins this otherwise fun film
"Alice in Wonderland" (2010, 105-min, PG, D/Tim Burton) I watched the 3D version of this which added that extra visual oomph to this live-action fantasy. Mia W'ska stars as "Alice" in her first leading role, and I wasn't impressed. She had a really hard time apparently doing green-screen acting. Much of this film was cgi and obviously done in post-production so the live production would've mainly been acting with your imagination that there were make-believe characters in front of you, etc, and she just didn't pull that off well at all. But even during the live-action, non-cgi sequences she just came off as stilted/wooden, again, not impressive. I guess Tim Burton, a fine director, just couldn't direct her to success. Beyond that, the other principals pulled their weight and saved the film. One of the things I found amusing was how much this adaptation had in common with 1939's Wizard of Oz, esp Alice and Dorothy. Looks like writer Linda Woolverton took more "liberties" than normal with this. One final thing, cultural messaging was fairly muted till the end when she returns to her abandoned wedding and spouts a bunch of feminist ideology which is out of character for "Alice" as a young teen character, so the movie ends with a thud instead of charm.
Hacks (2021)
Hacks continues to be a gem in a sea of carp
"Hacks" (S03, 9-eps, 32+ mins, MAX) This series, starring Jean Smart, continues to shine among so much streaming dross out there. "Deborah Vance" and her on-again-off-again assistant and head-writer "Ava Daniels" have such an entertaining, co-dependent relationship that it's just always fun from situation to situation. The series writing is funny, intriguing, and plausible. It's just so good in all the important dimensions. And at the season's finale, "Ava" finally makes a really important step in her growth, and that would be a good launch into a season four, if we're fortunate enough to get that green-lit, let's really hope so.
Jackpot! (2024)
Amazon finally hits the Jackpot with this one
"Jackpot!" (Aug 2024, 100-min, R for swears, D/Paul Feig, Amazon Prime Video) is a rollercoaster of an action-comedy. The film combines humor, action, and a touch of heart. The storyline is a dystopian lottery game in 2030 where the winner must survive an LA-wide murder-manhunt to claim their prize setting the stage for a series of hilarious and thrilling escapades.
Awkwafina stars as "Katie Kim", a former actress who accidentally finds herself in possession of the winning ticket. Her comedic timing and quirky charm bring a refreshing energy to the film. Her chemistry with John Cena's character, Noel, is a highlight.
John Cena co-stars, as Noel, a lovable bruiser and security expert, delivering a satisfying performance. His physical comedy and deadpan delivery are spot-on, providing plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. The film's action sequences are well-executed, with Cena's impressive stunts adding an extra layer of excitement. But make no mistake, there's an army of stuntmen contributing to the mayhem.
The film's pacing is brisk, ensuring there's never a dull moment. The clever script is filled with witty dialogue and pop-culture references that keep you engaged.
"Jackpot!" is a fun action-comedy that showcases the comedic talents of Awkwafina and John Cena. Their performances, combined with a unique and engaging storyline, make this film a winner. You won't regret watching this one with your date, friend, family as long as they're ok with swears/cursing.
A Gentleman in Moscow (2024)
An exciting time made so boring
"A Gentleman in Moscow" (Spring 2024, 8 eps, 45+ min, Showtime) The story starts in Revolution of 1917 Moscow which was an exciting and very tumultuous time. However, this story isn't told from the perspective of those in power or about to be in power, but from the perspective of a "gentleman", a minor player with the title of Count, whose social status gets blanked by the revolution. So, the entire storyline is handicapped by this decision. And it's as boring as you might have feared it'd be. I have NO IDEA what all the rave reviews are for, except the typical studio shilling that happens around here, but "trust me on this" you do not want to waste your time with this, even if you're a student of Russian history, there's just so very little there to be of any interest. I kept forcing myself to watch this, hoping it'd "kick in" at some point, but no, as boring at its end as it started. Ewan McGregor is front and center in this, every scene, so if you're a fan, this might be the only reason to watch. And as is so often the case these days in streaming series, he not only stars but is one of the executive producers so it's no wonder it's so focused on his character which is an obvious bid for a second Emmy. I so wish this could've been much more interesting, the backdrop of the Revolution is so rich with fascinating stories, but this wasn't one of them. I rate as 3-stars which are pretty much for its fine production values.
Orphan Black: Echoes (2023)
OBE promises sci-fi but delivers social engineering
"Orphan Black: Echoes" (Nov 2023 (Aus), 10 eps, 42-min, Stan (Aus)) Spoilers enclosed. This series was introduced in Australia late last year on Stan. It made it to the US this summer via AMC. Like many, many others I was predisposed to LIKING this series, I wanted to, I was ready to but alas. Turns out it's for women, written by women, mostly produced and directed by women, and promotes LGBT values, so if that's your thing, you're going to enjoy this more than the other 90% of us. The plot, the storyline is decent regarding the 3D (they call it 4D) printing of human bodies which presents a modern techno-slant on cloning which used to take a loooonnnnggg time, but 3D printing - a few days maybe and you have a fully grown kid, teen, or adult depending on the reference scan being used. However, the whole story takes a long time to play out across ten excruciating episodes, and doesn't even conclude decisively as if it's guaranteed a second season because the rest of the story is hanging on that. But I, like 98% of everyone else, won't return for a sophomore season since this whole production is more about social value influencing than sci-fi plot enjoyment, insert vomit emoji.
MaXXXine (2024)
70s made-for-tv movie? Could've fooled me
Maxxxine (2024, R,100-min, $20M w/w, W/D/P-Ti West) Mia Goth in the title role as an aging porn star trying to crossover to C-level mainstream horror confident she's a "star". The film is rated R more for violence/gore than its sexually explicit nature which frankly was PG-13. The production mimicks the look/feel of 70s cinema though it's set in the mid-80s. And the plot and its pacing puts it genuinely there in the 70s, in fact, to me it comes across more as a made-for-tv movie that was so common in those days, or what became known as straight-to-video in the 80s, one you'd pick up from Blockbuster when your first and second choices were all rented out. Mia Goth just doesn't have the authentic appeal to be a leading lady. It's no wonder this film only grossed $20M over its 4-week run, it's just a middling affair.
Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal (2024)
Ashes, Mad men
"Ashley Madison..." (2024, 3 eps, 50-min, Netflix) This short run documentary features interviews with a founder, affected couples, and law enforcement and all three sets were disappointing. Founder Evan Back is a big 'ol tub of lard who's only interested in making snappy one-liners, and has no remorse for any of the travestry. One couple interviewed were mixed race, so not interested - skip. Another were from the social security set, so not interested - skip. The final couple were pretty interesting but had the most unrealistic of forgive/forget endings. Investigators into the hack were wholly impotent, ironic right? After months/years, they still have no clue and shamed themselves with stupid speculation and even one character had the audacity to blame them for customers' relationship consequences! Biderman was never called out and shamed as the fraudulent, lying, cheating charlatan he was and how he pursued the infection of our society with his garbage business plan. That bug should've been jailed hard. Pathetic.