MOVIE REVIEWS START: 2020-06-01 FINISH: 2020-10-26 (c) Copyright Brett Paufler # # # # # # # # # # # # # # Listed in Reverse Order Title: {Optional Series Identifier} {Optional (Bail) Notice} Summary Fake Title A short review and/or commentary primarily focusing on praise or possible improvements. Previously, notice of (Bail) and not watching to completion, would have been made here. # # # # # # # # # # # # # # And then one day, most like every other project I have going, I suddenly lost interest and decided I would enjoy life more if I did not bother with such things {i.e. recording every last thought, opinion, and/or action I undertook}. That said, it was an easy project and would likely be a convenient point of entry (i.e. an easily accessible first project) for a person interested in writing... or more specifically, for a person who is interested in writing but who hasn't quite yet found the in. # # # # # # # # # # # # # # Red Empty Action I wonder if movies are written in a way that mimics children at play. There is no consequence. And the plot is thrown together with no thought of the past... or anything else for that matter.. It wasn't un-fun. It was simply meaningless. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm A Laugh Riot I enjoyed well enough. Though, in the end, I think of it is a sequel, as I wonder if the movie would stand on its own. Still, I laughed. And what more does a person really want out of a comedy? The Festival Sex, Drugs, & Whatever Music Has Become If the goal of the movie was to make me want to go to a Music Festival, it failed miserably. But for a bit of light comedy, I'd say it was a rousing success... or at least, good enough. Meaning, for a nothing comedy, it was quite solid. In retroactive symbolic analysis, The Festival comes off much more thoughtful than it might at first appear. The life lessons are there. The Gamers - Season One (Bail - 18:29) The Geeks It was neither interesting, insightful, nor funny. The Trial Of The Chicago 7 Political Advertising The movie elicited both outrage and tears of pride. So, I am sure it will satisfy its target audience. But with that much feeling, I am, also, sure it casts an uneven light on the subject matter. Still, this is the version of the events which I will be carrying forward. Welcome To Happiness Interesting But Boring They gave it the old college try by shooting a short story on film. But as it's full of psuedo-religious rehab innuendo of no real meaning or importance, it will quickly fade. Rachel Gets Strange (Bail 3:16) Shaky As An Artform Ideal Home - These Dads Suck So Gay A delightful romp through a bit of nothingness. I enjoyed my time quite thoroughly. Judy Garland, That Is Wonderful! Moving! Though, I am told the script deviates more than a little from reality. The Lie (Bail 9:58) What? Why? At some point, a movie just screams low budget... which is fine, if one is making a name for themselves. But all this movie was going to do was take up time. "Gads, so gross. She's like dead and stuff," I do believe another sitting next to me may have said (more or less) in a mocking tone. Occupied - Season One (Bail - 18:13) Emptiness In the first few minutes, we have an automobile successfully following a helicopter (um, not going to happen) and a country turning off their own power supply prior to having a viable alternative in place (also, not going to happen). Sorry, but if they can't get the simple things right, they are never going to get the nuances of social interaction correct. The Good Place - S4E13 Whoops! There's Another Episode So, I was wrong. They closed up all the threads. And there will not be another season. Though, there's plenty of room for a spin off or two. Bravo, my friends! Bravo! The Boys - Season Two If I get in the mood, the melodrama can be quite captivating. But usually, I'm just waiting for the action {quite the opposite of my usual movie watching behaviour in which I completely ignore the action}, which doesn't make a lot of sense. The Haunting - Of Bly Manor (Bail - 26:37) Boring Light Horror I got some shivers down my spine, which was quite enjoyable. But there is the fear it will switch to full-on horror. So, that's that. Hunt for the Wilderpeople Low Budget Done Right I'd say this is a fairly pain-free way to learn a tiny little bit about New Zealand and its Bush Country. It's a nothing little feel-good movie. But it works. And that is what matters in the end: that it works. The Land of Steady Habits A Mid-Life Crisis I liked the steps. I care not about the resolution. As with most movies, I find myself interested in the money. It was always of importance. So, maybe a ticker at the bottom of the screen... if only when a purchase was being made. Sure, not what the movie was about... only, it is what the movie was about. Bullet Head (Bail - 15:59) Somebody Needs A Bullet To The Head The warehouse added a bit of the nitty gritty, while other aspects (you'll see soon enough, pretty much right in the opening scene) added aspects of reality of which I am basically uninterested. My Octopus Teacher Nurturing Nature This was good, perhaps awesome. It felt like a Nova Episode from back in the day. Good Work! Good Job! I think you've carved out a successful niche for yourself. The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) Not Many Jokes It's an OK movie. It will be quickly forgotten. I would guess in the original script the sculptures were much bigger, taking up far more space, filling up the screen, as it were. A Serious Man Life Sucks; And Then... I've seen this movie before. Though, it was long enough ago, I barely remembered anything about it... and certainly, had no idea what was going to happen next. Overall, the plot could have been tighter. But at some point, the trick is in getting the audience to accept the limitations of the storytelling method. And in that regards, I do believe this movie succeeds. The Gift The Unlikely Satisfying overall. There is one (sort of major) plot-line I would leave out. Of course, I've seen the entire movie, so upon review, I'm trying to improve things; which means, changing things. And in this case, that change tends to focus upon removing what I consider to be an unimportant and unsatisfying side-story. Also, the pacing could be accelerated a bit. Eh, if I really start thinking about it, I'm going to have to get my red pen out. The Guest The Gunfight I liked the start. And the cinematography (and/or pacing, storyline, and setting) was compelling. But at some point (and you'll pretty much know when), the story veered off into genre trope nonsense. The why of it all is never answered. And as such, the how is trivially unimportant. Knock! Knock! Who's there? I don't know. But wasn't that "Knock! Knock!" part pretty good. The Good Place - Season Four The Good Show I was not so thrilled (if I remember correctly) with the Third Season. The Fourth Season was better. They knew where they were going and went there. Presumably, there will be a Fifth Season. And I will plan on watching it. Broadcast News What Is Old Is New I must say, the moral dilemma at the heart (and/or climatic resolution) of this movie eludes me. It seems like being upset that Diet Drink is made with Fake Sugar. I mean, of course Diet Drink is made with Fake Sugar. That's what makes it Diet Drink instead of Drink. Whatever. I found the ethical implications to be a bit confusing. Otherwise, I enjoyed the ride. i'm thinking of ending this Bad Author Writes Bad Book... Some Hack Turns It Into A Movie Moment-by-Moment, this movie was pretty good. So, like, if a person started watching at random for fifteen minutes, they might find it very soothing... or at least, I think I would (and/or did). But taken as a whole, there is nothing there. It's flowers without a bouquet. Or more accurately, it's endless snack crackers (with maybe a little dip); and once it is over, one sort of recalls how they were expecting a meal, which mere snack crackers are not. Anyhow, other notes include: Art; Chills; Boring; Scary; Confusing; I've resigned myself to not understanding this; Empty Dramatization; Totally Unacceptable; Surrealism for Surrealism's sake; Yeah, I could watch this again; Paint Against Wall; And finally, there is no whole. I can see this movie winning awards. I can see the average viewer being totally confused and disappointed by the ending. Tellingly, the best segments are composed (presumably) of other people's words (i.e. poems, long extracts, and so on). Much like monochromatic paintings of white squares, it's an acquired taste... usually curated for pretentious reasons. Still, there are a lot of positive (and negative) words (not to mention just a lot of words) in this review, so take that as you will. It is exactly what it is. It does not resolve. The Devil All The Time (Bail - 21:47) Evil On The Horizon The endless slow spin makes this movie unwatchable. Also, I'm not into horror. 20th Century Women (Bail - 47:00) Womin's Troubles Being a man, I found this less than interesting. Or perhaps, that should be: Being an unenlightened man (with the man part being optional), I found this story less than compelling. Ricky Garvais Is Derek (Bail - 2:15) Derek Did The Camera Work #Alive (Bail - 9:45) @DOA Just another low budged Zombie Film. Vexed - Season Two Pleasing One-Dimensional Characters I did not like the dad. I did not like the brother. I started to find the confessions at the end a bit too pat. It is not the time to suddenly stop lying when one is being arrested for murder and facing life imprisonment. Still, I watched the series to the end. So, there is some solid stuff here. I'll give it a B+. Birthmarked (Bail - 40:07) Alternate Title Goes Here A meaningful comment goes here. Actually (as the above are not mistakes, but a bit of a joke), my best comment is if they looped the movie in reverse and showed the same footage over it couldn't be any slower moving than it already is. The only (and I mean only) redeeming feature is the Horsie Ride. That was a good bit of entertainment. But one thirty second gag does not a movie make. VEXED - Season One Coppers It's a fine Detective Show. How such incompetents get the choice jobs of Homicide Crime Scene Detectives is beyond me. But you weren't looking for realism, were you? Feel Good - Season One (Bail - 3:35) I Felt Nothing First, my time-stamps are likely inconsistent. I will try to add a trailing :00 whenever the first number becomes the hour marker. Second, I may have been able to like this, as I find the idea of a Semi Punk Mrs. Maisel to be pleasing. But the camera-work was intolerable. A Futile And Stupid Gesture (Bail - 17:23) Semi-Autobiographical Fail He may have been funny. The movie based on his exploits was not. In truth, I assume this was a Self-Produced Vanity Project. Away - Season One (Bail after ten minutes) A Space Drama That Never Took Off A Dramatic Space Opera should take place in outer space. This one did not. Bail. Tucker & Dale vs. Evil Chainsaw Driven Culture Clash This was a winner. It maybe started a bit slow. But it turned out to be the best possible combination of a Slasher Flick and a Stupid Comedy. YeeHaw! Good Bye, Lenin! (Bail - 1:12:00) After The Walls Came Down Not Good. Not Bad. But too slow. And too shaky. Basically, it's not funny enough to warrant the time commitment. Midnight Diner - Season Two Through A Japanese Lens The good times continue. It is very Japanese Centric: the stories easily being based on common Japanese Myths, Tales, or Ghost Stories... for all I know. But it is easy to recommend. And at twenty minutes, each episode goes down smooth and easy. Lilies Of The Field It was a fine enough movie. But I did not care for the ending. The movie had no real ending, no rhyme or reason to it... and in fact, the ending went against both rhyme and reason. But the main event went down smooth enough... eh, not too boring. In this day and age, I want faster pacing. And I could never see watching again... or recommending to another. So, I guess, there really is not much there. Sensitivity Training Freaks Invading The Mainstream I do not appreciate Personality Placement... or however one wants to label the divergence. Still, it worked... even if it matters not one iota if I had ever seen this movie or not. To Sir, With Love Writing! This movie shows how a good script (and perhaps, a strong lead) can overcome all other obstacles... particularly of the monetary variety. Bravo! Onward Awesome This was not the movie I expected. But it was every bit as good as I'd hoped. I'm ready for the sequel. It's sort of ironic how mainstream Role Playing Games have become... and how much tripe I am willing to allow if you hit my genre preferences dead on. Absolutely Anything We Would Die I liked. But it is a meaningless little movie, easily skipped. It was boring towards the front. But it ended with a bang. So, there's always that. It, also, had some Big Name Co Star Voices. But they were not utilized properly. I can see how it would be great fun to make a year's wages for an afternoon's worth of work in a Sound Stage. Where do I sign up? But nobody's personality came through, so what's the point? Midnight Diner - Season One Sleeper Hit I did not think I would like. But I did. As with many Cross Cultural Phenomenons, a big part of enjoyment is in examining the foreign culture... by way of an All Night Diner. Very good. Mr Robot - Season Four - The Final Season He's A Family Man The use of light and shadow was impressive. I could care less about the main dramatic arc. And the final reveal was... um, less than inspired. Or that is to say, I think I could come up with one or two better endings. Say for instance that Elliot mirrored White Rose and his True Self was Darla. It might be hard not to watch the fifth season (if there was one) having watched the previous four. But thankfully, I think that we are done. Season Four is it... the end of the line. Fear, Love, and Agoraphobia Start Already. At 4:13, I just might bail. So far, I have not been given a reason to stay with it. At 16:28, I am bailing. It just doesn't seem to be going anywhere... and is taking way too long to get there. Also, Mr Robot came in at the library. So, Game, Set, Match. Bad, Bad Men (Bail - 9:36) Bad-Bad, Super-Bad Acting A low budget slog presented with the unsteady hand of a drunken camera man. Or as my one word commentary at the time went... 'Stilted.' Doomsdays House Breaking This was a nothing little movie that lacked shaky camera work; and so, I was willing to watch it. It's OK. Outside of the fun of breaking into houses, which I think they did wrong, I expect the movie to fade from memory rather quickly. I was inclined to like the brainiac... but he never really got to shine. In the end, it was more of an idea of an idea rather than the presentation of an actual idea. Toon - Season One (Bail - 4:31) With a name like Toon, I expected this to be funny... or at least, humorous. It was not. Shaky. Boring. I could not be bothered to expend the effort to read the captions any longer. Bordertown - Season One (Bail - 1:02) Sorry, I am not into the gruesome stuff. On Body And Soul Cows Will Die I closed my eyes. I assume the death scene was real. Poor cow. No. Not really. I'm just going to look away. Other than that, I found this to be a fine outstanding movie. Not exciting... but rather, compelling. Dallas Buyers Club - (Bail - forty minutes or so) AIDS Sucks I enjoyed the lead in. But I can't see caring about what I assume is the main event. And the camera work was not as I would have it. Jumanji - The Next Level Action Adventure Hard not to recommend. Easy not to recommend too hard. Jerry Maguire (Bail - 1:04:46) I Expected Better To the extent Tom Cruise works for others, he does not work for me. He has a nice smile. But I don't feel a full range of emotion. Every scene (for the first half hour, at least) is a a total disconnect. So, yeah. I'm not crazy about the writer/director, either. The Jesus Rolls (Bail - 21:09) A Comedy With No Humour How did they not know this would be a dud? Why did they not care? the upside little downside It was sad; but not a tear jerker. If one must be Politically Correct, this is the way to do it. All you pretenders take note. A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood Sickeningly Sweet I like the wrap-around. However, full on Good without Evil does not ring true. It's only half of a philosophy. Nor do I believe forgiveness after years-and-years of harboured resentment coincides very often with a renewal of love. I would hazard to guess it's much more often linked with a complete letting go and total absence of either anger or love. You are. Almost always reducing to 'You are nothing.' {If the above is unclear, I consider myself a bit of an expert on prolonged anger and hate at this point. And I can assure you, when the anger fades, what remains is almost nothing... and certainly nothing that resembles love. Perhaps, if I do another major project, I should start the action after the hate is over when both Love & Hate have subsided... leaving precious little behind.} Zombieland - Double Tap Bang! Ba-Bang! Fine Wholesome Family Fun! It is what it is. For a sequel, it's surprisingly good. They are keeping the franchise alive. Ford v Ferrari Fast Cars! Faster Cars! Do I really care? No. I wonder if the lead actor was playing Shelby or playing himself. Not knowing, it was a good performance. But I don't think there will be much for me to chew on as the days go by. Reality Z - Season One (Bail - During Opening Credits) Let's Search Z I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore (Bail - 34:35) Quirky Name - Quirky Characters It started to turn to face the horror... and we turned it off, horror not being our thing. Altes Geld - Season One (Bail after one episode) Old Money Too much to read. Way too much. Get Short{y?} - Season One (Bail after first episode) A Crime Drama Without the nausea inducing camera work, I would have lasted maybe halfway through the season... or at least another episode. As it was, one episode was more than enough. Melvin Goes To Dinner (Bail - 14:16) Which One Is Melvin? Sans camera work, this would have been good enough. With camera work (or rather, it's noticeable absence), it is not. The Tiger Hunter (Repeat - 1:10) Why even mention? I am sure my review can be found elsewhere. High Score - Documentary Series (Bail after Two Episodes) Plodding Fare Shaky Documentary Footage does not do it for me... sort of makes me sick, actually. I muddled through two episodes. I doubt I will ever go back for another. Bad Education - Season One (Bail - 17:32) Bad Editing 101 Actually, the editing is great... I just can't take it. So, the production values (or should that be, post production values) are highly satisfying. But unfortunately, it's all twisted up in a way that makes it unwatchable by me. Morning Glory Myth Of The Meritocracy The movie was a keeper. So, I feel I should give some praise. But then, that's praise enough. With all the Bails in here, I watched this one through. Happy? It was time spent. Infinity Baby Arty Time Filler Not Good. Not Bad. Nothing there, really. Nothing to think about... no matter how hard they tried. It doesn't matter. Time was spent... pleasantly enough. Even now, I can barely remember the thing. Total Mental Novocaine. And those were my notes at the time. The morning after and I am inclined to be a bit more generous... or at least, note that certain moments were pleasing and these are what I am thinking about at this remove. But overall, it was (perhaps, like I'm keeping track) a trio of short stories woven together with none of them being terribly brilliant... just good enough. Let's give it a passing grade. Truthfully, I don't know why he was in the movie at all. Alter Egos (Bail - 7:56) Uninspired Shakiness I think they would have been better off embracing the low budget nature of the endeavour and highlighted the cost saving measures rather than trying to normalize them. Lies & Alibis (Bail +/- 10min) Sex Without Sex "It's not going to get any better," I think about sums it up. 7 Chinese Brothers (Bail - 18:37) 17 Shaky Minutes It's a fun little nothing of a film. But the camera shakes too much. Huh. I'm beginning to think that's a thing. Jeff, Who Lives At Home (Bail - 10:26) Jeff, Who Can't Hold A Camera Still To Save His Life I'm sure I could hang if it weren't for the camera work... or more accurately, the total lack thereof. It's like a spastic monkey shot the thing. No thanks. Bail. Atlas Shrugged: Part 1 (Bail +/- 10min) Political Porn The acting was bad, so terribly bad. I mean, I've seen tighter dialogue from pizza delivery guys who were about to get lucky. Dave Made A Maze (Bail +/- 20min) Dave Made A Movie Shaky. Low Budget. Conceptual Horror. Or in other words, it's not my genre. are you here will it stick Now, I loved this movie. I liked the characters... especially The Sleaze Ball, as he wasn't a caricature. The same could be said of the rest... well, sort of... mostly... I guess I don't really care about the rest. And as to the overall plot, it really did not work, as it was based on far too many unlikely circumstances... basically, contradictions. Finally, the piece was light fiction without any real meaning. Meaning, it failed at being light fiction, a RomCom, a Comedy, and/or all the rest. It was images on the screen. So, that's sounding pretty negative. But I really liked The Sleaze Ball. In the end, I guess that was enough for me. He carried the show. The Rum Diary (Bail - 6:28) Hunter S Thompson I think I would have liked this movie... if only they could have kept the camera still. Buy a tripod or something. It really is that easy. The New Legends Of Monkey - Season One (Bail - 6:47) Same Stories - New Franchise Too Jerky! I might have been able to forgive the low production values on account of genre/content. But what little I saw was clearly (quite clearly) not worth struggling against motion sickness. Teenage Bounty Hunters - Season One (Bail - 15:35) Sex & Violence The introductory sex scenes were fun. Color me a perv... just like everyone else in this world. But the remainder was stupid, lame, insipid, and inane. Cats (Bail - 10:18) Is A Dog I was unimpressed by the lyrical composition and the camera could not stay still. So, I saw no need to watch any further. The Peanut Butter Falcon (Sped Thru) Idiotic Name Here Stupid. Boring. Long. I skipped the latter half of the middle part. It has some scenes, some moments. But it is not a movie. It is not a complete tale. There are major problems here, believability being the foremost. Or in other words, I can see the strokes of the writer's quill and I am not impressed. Rita (Bail - 30:59) On Being Chaotic Good In A Lawful Evil World I don't care how good your show is. If I feel sick, I'm bailing. We probably would have gotten a few episodes in, otherwise. Maybe, even, a season or two. Guns Akimbo (Bail - 17:57) Camera Askew I enjoyed the aesthetic... well, up to the point I started getting dizzy. Twist-O-Rama about covers it. Jay And Silent Bob Reboot (Bail) Failed To Please The Crowd I was enjoying. Others were not. It was not compelling enough to push the point. Down Hill (Bail) Not Worth It Shaky Naus-O-Rama. It's a hill they never overcame. A Very Secret Service - Season Two (Bail - Episode Three) Been There. Done That. I no longer care. Also, the dialogue has gotten much more intense which makes reading the subtitles all the harder. A Very Secret Service - Season One Hits The Nail On The Head It knows what it is making fun of and does so very well. I did not care for the cliff-hanger/plot-twist at season's end. But other than that, I can find no complaints. It's a stylized conceptual light comedy drama done very well... very well indeed. Halt And Catch Fire (Bail - 1 Episode) Not Real. Not Fake. Heck. For all I know it is based on a semi-real (so, call it a legend of a) story. But the lead is unconvincing. He does not inspire... me. So, I have a hard time understanding how he inspires... others. Though, that is supposed to be his talent. In other words, if you're going to cast a Strongman, the actor should have some upper body strength. Though in truth, this is a writing complaint, not an acting complaint. As to other characters (once again, a writing complaint, not an acting complaint), let us just say no one knows that much. She's just lying to herself. I don't know why anyone else would believe her. An Education (Bail - +/- 30 minutes) An Introduction She's a young (too young, under-age) sophisticate. He's a bit older and appreciates her mind. It's a blow-out sex scene waiting to happen. But in the meantime, it's all a bit boring. Jumanji The Original LARP Fun. Lots of hidden symbolism... for me, anyway. It was a wild (if highly predictable) ride, which I was glad to have taken. Cuckoo - Season Two (Bail - 1 Episode) Disappointing Too many characters were replaced, including one of the leads. It's not the same. Goodbye. Cuckoo - Season One Crazy, Man! Crazy! Soothingly Wonderful. The two leads bounce off each other perfectly. It is a delight. Not so much funny... as clever. And in this instance, I mean that in a good way. Just Mercy (Bail) Just Don't Care Life is too short and will forever more be too short to watch this type of film. I do not care for the genre. I'll read Supreme Court Slips, instead. Thank you very much. Little Women The Story of Joe I liked. I enjoyed. Of the classic Women's Novels, this is not my favourite. But I will say it had everything. I note no defects and do not regret the time. But I question whether I ever need to see, read, or hear about this story ever again. Doolittle (Bail - 38:12) Does Little For Me It's a family movie with little ingenuity and an ageing actor sleep-walking through the lead. It's really not all that bad. But I don't care about it. So, why start a second sitting? Long Strange Trip (Bail 10:41) Long... Long... Too Long It turns out I do not care that much about The Grateful Dead. I could do {i.e. watch} a movie about the scene... or tangential to the scene. But a focused documentary spanning several episodes is just too detailed and drawn out. Couple that with a bit of Naus-O-Rama and the fact that the opening music was not overly captivating (it did not capture my mind or steal the show) and I found no reason to stick with it. To Catch A Thief An Old Time Movie This was enjoyable enough. But there's not much there. I can see watching an old movie once a month or so, but not much more often than that. It was inoffensive. But provided no real inspiration. GoodTime (Bail - 11:10) Nope I do not care about The Special Needs Community. Man Down - Season Four Clowns Be Clowns Having watched the entire series, I think it is safe to say I enjoyed this show. Pleasing. Funny. And Enjoyable. The Vast Of Night (Bail - 46:16) Stretching The Budget I enjoyed the aesthetic. And the opening shots which take us through a school's gym and parking lot were fun enough. But at some point, the action reduced to two people sitting in chairs talking on the phone. I didn't sign up for a Radio Drama. It simply wasn't enough... for me. Tramps (Bail - 9:02) Total Bail Of what I saw, the plot development was slow and the action shot in Naus-O-Rama. Being totally uninvested, it was easy to Bail. Shadow (Bail - 17:07) Show Me. Don't Tell Me. I am watching a Movie, not listening to some Radio Program. I want action. If you must do extensive narration, do it as a Voice Over Narrated Flashback, because I am just not reading that many subtitles. Man Down - Season Three Disfiguring Facial Injuries Are Funny I made it to Season Three. This show is a winner. One really need know no more than that. I am watching Season Three. Why? Because I am enjoying myself. 1917 (Bail) Point Of Pukeage Being shot in full-on Naus-O-Rama, I bailed after twenty minutes (21:10 to be exact). I can see the artistic appeal. And as interesting as endless close-ups of the trenches might be, having to watch the film through mostly closed eyes quickly led to boredom and disinterest on my part. Man Down - Season Two The First Season Was Better The hijinks continue. I thought about bailing, but was over-ruled. I did enjoy myself, though. Fundamentally, I liked the father better and do not appreciate the aunt. Much like the schoolchildren (who work much better), I view auntie as a demographic play, there for the grandmas in the audience. The Florida Project Folks Are Poor All Over Not quite a movie. Not quite a documentary. I enjoyed the set scenes. But the plot was fairly non- existent. In the end, I expected no meaningful closure. And right on queue, the movie blithely failed to deliver. All in all, I view the movie more as a study in childhood than social justice; and for the most, find it hard to care about from beginning to end... even if I did enjoy myself more-or-less from beginning to end. The Bling Ring (Bail) The Youth Of Today Yes. And? Snooping about a Celebrity's Closet was the high-point. Unfortunately, I did not feel much of anything one way or another. Man Down Clowning It Up Slapstick Comedy at it's finest. Maybe. Possibly. OK. It's not that great. But it is pretty darn good. I have come to think of the lead as a Giant Clown of sorts. And the rest of the story flows into place accordingly. Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker The Mythos Lives On I like the slow motion combat of The Dark Side over the frantic actions of The Rebels. Further, the Evil Iconography is better than that of The Jedi's. Unfortunately, the makers of the film are unwilling to depict (and/or are ignorant as to the true nature of) Evil. And as such, there is something missing (a Void of Reason), which keeps the series from achieving/maintaining greatness. Still, I will watch the next episode. Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later - Limited Series (Bail) Dead On Arrival It's the same characters played by different actors in brand new roles (i.e. situations and life stories, ten years in the future, as it is). So, it would have made more sense to just run with a different group of campers/characters rather than pretend they were the same ones. All in all, it might work. But I have no need to stick around and find out. Wet Hot American Summer: First Day Of Camp - Season One Nostalgia and Nonsense Perhaps, the first step in making great comedy is to realize that one cannot, also, make sense. They did not try. And really, rather than try, went the exact opposite route, highlighting the nonsense, turning sense on its side by exploring the old tropes, exaggerating some, while reversing others. Bravo! Excellent! Encore! More! betas alpha, beta, gamma, delta I do not care for the Lead Character. He is other. Not one of the pack. One of these things is not like the other. And in this particular case, that thing is the lead... along with most of the supporting female characters. As a result, the premise sort of falls short. Or in other words, a story about 'betas' with the lead not a 'beta' just doesn't work for me. Also, what little I know about VC Culture indicates reality is not being modelled very well. A show which uses Tech as a background should really get The Tech right. Nope. Narrative short cuts are not allowed. How To Lose Friends and Alienate People Fair to Midlin' Simple. Straightforward. Unimaginative. No guts. No glory. A perfunctory touching of the bases and we are done. Pineapple Express The Laugh Train Nice and Funny! Exactly what I want out of a movie like this. Now, it could be tighter. The structure shines through {as in, as a writer, I am acutely aware how the pieces have been fitted together}, even if the entire thing feels improvised. But I laughed. And that's the final measure. Forever - Season One (Bail) Taking Forever To Start The Show moves way too slowly. The premise is not even established until the Third Episode. Of course, this is where I bailed. So, maybe the premise gets refined further along down the line. The Episodes were not bad. But then again, there almost wasn't enough there for it to be bad. If this is the pacing one wishes to go at, might I recommend writing a book, instead. Another way of saying all this is that the obvious restraints of an incredibly low budget shines through and the writing isn't enough to save it. Man Like Mobeen - Season One (Bail) What? Come again? Say what? This was funny. I think I could have liked it. But once again, the English Accents were too thick. I missed every third word (or so), which is entirely too much. People Just Do Nothing - Season One (Bail) Low Production Fail In truth, the camera work was simply too shaky. Add in the fact that it was a bit hard to understand what they were saying and I'm out of here. Peep Show - Season One (Bail) Naus-O-Rama The Extreme Hand-Held Camera Work makes This Show basically un-watchable for one such as I with Motion Sickness Issues. Though, that said, it is appealing enough that I can see just listening to the dialogue. And in the end, might just do. Fresh Meat - Season Four First, Two-One, Two-Two, And A Third The realism sort of takes a dive in this Latest (presumably Last) Season. All is fine. I like the show. But at the end of This Season, it was easy to come up with a list of ludicrous premises. And without the inertia in place from watching the previous Three Seasons, I think I would have bailed. Fresh Meat - Season Three Staying Fresh I got blitzed last night and the characters sort of disassociated. The acting rose to the surface, which was fun. It was like watching the actors and actresses having fun on-screen... little out-takes of play, edited together to form a story. More on point, it's The Third Season and I'm still watching. Praise doesn't get much higher than that. Fresh Meat - Season Two Now, With More Loose Meat The Show continues to satisfy. While at the same time, it remains difficult for me to put my finger on why. I like the words, the turns of phrases, and the slight differences in culture... and, presumably, cultural norms. "Oh," I say to myself, "There is such a thing as Posh," which looks roughly equivalent to our Preppy, "And thus, this character is," presumably, "a stereotypical caricature of the Posh/Preppy archetype." There were some good jokes. But for the most it's mildly amusing. We are eating it up. But I can't think of anyone to whom I'd recommend the show. Of course, I have a small circle of mostly non-existent friends, so that might be the real reason for the lack of a recommendation to anyone in The Real. Pride & Prejudice A Masterpiece I would not have considered Pride & Prejudice on my own. But sometime in my forties, I was exposed... and sold. I've watched this version (Colin Firth, et al) at least a dozen times... if not several dozen more. And I've read the book (because who really keeps track of these things) at least three times. So, I'm hardly a disinterested observer. And rather than watching a movie, it's more like catching up with old friends and returning for a reunion. Fresh Meat - Season One Freshmen Housing It's a good show and easily recommendable. However (and oddly enough), most of the characters are not overly likeable one-on-one. In fact, the weird guy is my favourite: not only because he is the quirkiest; but also, because he is neither mean spirited nor does he suffer from the numerous moral flaws which plague the others. Dark - Season One (Bail) Stranger German Things The voice-over reminds me of Comrade Detective. Unfortunately, in this instance it's not intended and just makes the characters sound flat. I am partial to the characters. But ironically (or not), the story is darker than I would like. In the end, we had low expectations (when we started) that we would watch a significant portion of this show... and our expectations were handily met. EuroVision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (Bail) Buffoon Gets Girl By Quirk Of Fate I liked the elves (i.e. The Wee People) more than anything else. And they never appeared on the screen. I like to think they were responsible for... um, certain plot developments. It's kind of like saying The Gopher was the best part of Caddy Shack. Well, The Gopher wasn't that good in Caddy Shack. And for that little rodent (cute as he may have been) to have been the best part, the rest of the movie would have really had to suck. The Boys: Season One Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely Very Pretty Awesome. I highly recommend. That said, it seemed to be pulling apart at the edges a bit towards the end. And I have my doubts whether they can pull it back together. Anyway, it's a wonderful Anti-Superhero Series that packs plenty of sex, violence, and plot twists. Yeah, there's no way the Second Season is going to measure up. Orphan Black: Season One (Bail) Why? What? Not good enough. Not explained enough. I want to know why I am watching something. I don't want to have to guess. I enjoyed the first episode. I was bored for the first fifteen minutes of the second. I think this is the second time I've gotten this far. Gavin & Stacey: Season One (Bail) Basic Brits If you're going to talk with a funny British accent, do it slowly. Some of the characters were fun. But having been introduced to them, I cannot see the point in getting to know them further, as I do not care about either of the mains. Eight Grade Growing Pains It's a good movie, but a bit painful to watch on occasion. I can recommend. But it is a bit of a roller coaster, which is not always welcome. Solid. Good story telling. Interesting. Eureka (Bail) Concept Ensemble SF Sexpot This is the epitome of a Genre Show that relies heavily on Sexual Tension. Unfortunately, I found the base drama to be a bit boring. Though, there were some nice ideas. I liked the house, especially. Upload: First Season Not Quite A Farce I was disappointed when the First Season came to an end. So, there's that. And I very much like the Science Fiction insights. I was not disappointed by their Created World. Sure, I would have tweaked it a bit differently. But it was good enough. On the other hand, the execution was a bit hit or miss. Many a moment, I thought The Show would have worked better as a Farce, as if The Original Conception had been a Farce and the lot was re-written with a more serious tone in order to get The Green Light. If there was a Second Season, we would be watching it now. The Iron Giant (Bail) The Gentle Giant With The Heart Of Iron It's a fine (perhaps, more than fine) Children's Movie. But I am not a child. And I do not have time for the slowness of the pace. Deathtrap Solid A nice solid Murder Mystery. I do not like the very end nor the parts which lead to that particular plot point... none of them. Otherwise, a very solid movie, a very solid caper, a very solid... whatever. So, in a word, solid. Knives Out His Final Mystery I look forward to the sequel. They should have made the sequel rather than this. In fact, the sequel is what I watched rather than this. Confused? Then, please, let me explain. When I watch a mystery, I solve as I go. Is my solution better than the writer's? If so, color me disappointed... cheated, and/or more than a little let down. I think my version was better... or closer to something that would be considered better... you know, by me, at least. So in other words, Knives Out was a good mystery, a solid mystery, but by no means a classic mystery. And at this point, that really is the bar. CBGB Punk Some people make a difference. This is the story of one who did. It's a great movie, solid from top to bottom. It actually surprised me how good it was. Now, if a person doesn't like Punk Music from head to toe, there might not be much here. But if Rock is appealing, Punk is close enough. And this is the Inside Story. Utterly Fantastic! Da 5 Bloods (Bail) Da Nth Joint Crap. Boring. Meaningless. Rather than setting the tone, the soundtrack broke it... or at least, a sense of disjointedness accompanied my first awareness of the music. While my last awareness of the cinematography (prior to bailing) was the utter lack of meaning to the edits. That last pull-back added nothing... except for the question as to why we were pulling back. For propaganda to work, others must be willing to labour through it... otherwise, one is simply preaching to the choir... not singing, but preaching... artlessly... with a heavy hand... while vacationing with a film crew in Vietnam. Lady Bird Becoming Christine Catholic Schoolgirl Comes of Age Another good movie. Solid. Entertaining. I would say there is not much of a plot. But then, I never much cared about its lack. Things happened. I went along. Meaning, I can deconstruct plenty of plot if I desire. Which is really just another way of saying, a Catholic Schoolgirl's Senior Year zips by most entertainingly and with much heartfelt teenage angst. Her OT or OS I really liked the Sex Scene, quite erotic. The ending resulted from a need to end the movie. But what are you going to do? I would have liked more, which can be a criticism, but it means I liked where they were going and wanted further depth. All in all a quite excellent movie. V For Vendetta (Bail) W For Why Bother? A Super Hero with Super Powers does Super Things to not so Super Villains, because underneath it all he's a Super Nice Guy... who can't let go of the past, which it turns out, wasn't all that Super in the first place. Not Super Disappointing. It's more a matter of not caring. "Oh, you killed another bad guy? Congrats. Um, but I do have one small question. Considering how Super-Super (and I do mean, Super-Super) Awesome you are, why didn't you bother to do any of this sooner?" Fyre (Bail) Smoke, Mirrors, & Hot Air Men with Money hire Bikini Wearing Models to promote a Music Festival on a remote Desert Island and are so sure they are going to Hit It Big, they film the process from beginning to end so as to better document their Meteoric Rise to Success. And yet, things did not turn out as planned and went horribly wrong. Go figure. Outside of Bikinis (in abundance), the little I saw of this documentary consisted of uninspired tripe. It probably needed to include a Voice Over reading The Courtroom Transcript from the resulting lawsuit to give it that extra nudge of heartfelt outrage, "Oh, and I like this next bit. It says here..." with ending comical aside, adding insult to injury. Dolemite Is My Name Being Eddie Murphy Is My Game aka The Marvellous Mr Murphy There was a Dolemite Movie Franchise, so this is at least loosely based on reality. It would have been nice to know that going in. Also, considering the Movie Franchise was fairly successful, it would have been nice if the background jokes were funnier. Interesting. But Not Great. Dolemite does not bounce off the screen as I might like. He is definitely not Dynamite. The Italian Job (Bail) I Wish I Were A Secret Spy Agent Then Everything I Do Would Make More Sense I likely would have enjoyed the aesthetics of this (1969) movie as a child (at age eight, nine, or ten). But at this point, I am just bored. Success is a foregone conclusion... or a happily ever-after failure. But I don't care. And we are just going from one random set scene to another with little wit. A laugh or two would have gone a long way. Death Note Manga Movie The Manga Aesthetics were amazing, top notch. As a theatrical rendition of a Comic Book, I was quite pleased. The story, however, was pretty bland and boring in the middle. I could care less about the major nemesis. And when you get right down to it, I'm not overly enthralled by (what I presume is) the original author's interpretation of the conceit. Death is Death. Life is Life. And let us not conflate the two. Also, I don't really understand a few of the final (basically, closing credit) scenes. Sure, it sets up a sequel. But all that plot-work could have just as easily been done in any sequel. Unresolved in the moment, it's just confusing and screams of bad editing decisions. Brittany Runs A Marathon A Healthy Mix Of Seriousness And Fun A low budget movie, which delivers. I enjoyed my time and was not bored too terribly often. Not great. But then, it never really had the budget for greatness. In the end, it achieved its goal, which is saying something in this day and age. catfish Boring But Interesting The movie that started it all? I doubt it. But certainly, it made someone a lot of money for not much of an investment. In my opinion (ever so critical), there was simply not enough content to justify its ninety minute run-time. Going beyond the single case history would have worked wonders to flesh it all out. But then, you can't argue with success. And I'd guess, this movie was very successful. An Inspector Calls Hit. Hit. Hit. Miss. It's a very good (as in, a very good) detective show (and/or mystery); and then, it falters. The final bit of moralizing doesn't work for me. Thus (in my ever so humble opinion), they either went to far... or not far enough. failure to launch failure to care It was fine. That really could be the review: It was fine. If I have a growing (and/or continued) complaint with this type of film, it is the total disconnect between effort and reward. Nobody works. And yet, they all seem to have all the trappings of The Good Life. Cause and Effect? Please. Mr. Right A RomCom For The Boys It's a RomCom Shoot 'em Up where rather than having casual sex our romantic leads engage in casual murder. So, no worries. It's morally acceptable and a good family film, if you are into that sort of thing. Of course, I find that whole Sex-Bad/Murder-OK dichotomy to be quite stupid. But for the most, I'm over it. And besides, in Movie Land it worked just fine. On the other hand, let's just say, The Gun Play would have made more sense if The Gun Play had made any sense. Whatever. I liked the movie. It was fun. But when all is said and done, there is not much of a plot (or anything else) to chew on. The Interview Let's Improv A Movie Seth Rogan Features always look like they are thrown together to me, as if the actors on set decide the next line of dialogue as they go. It's like two friends (call them buddies), who had access to a Holographic Chamber (or similar recording environment), got very-very high together; and this is the movie they produced and/or adventure they went on as a result. On the other hand, I had a few good laughs. And for comedy, I will forgive anything. Space Force: Season One (Bail) Searching For A Farce The Series (in my ever so humble opinion) suffers from across the board mediocrity brought on by an unwillingness to commit. In the end, I do not want multiple story lines. I have access to a smorgasbord of programming. And as such, I seek depth as opposed to breadth. # # # # # # # # # # # # # # And now, having had a bit of a break, I feel the appeal of restarting a similar media tracking project. But first, let me clear my desktop of the deadwood... while I contemplate how to keep the good bits of the foregoing while eliminating the bad in any future endeavour. # # # # # # # # # # # # # # 2020-12-08 (c) Copyright Brett Paufler