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Reviews
Joker (2019)
Interesting Character, But Not Much Else
As a character study, this was interesting enough to hold my attention upon first watch, but the lack of any plot or storyline would make subsequent watches pretty boring. Joaquin Phoenix is amazing, there is no doubt, and his performance gets an A+. I just prefer movies with actual plots.
Freaks (2018)
A Hidden Gem
It's obvious this isn't a big studio blockbuster, but that in no way diminishes the quality of this film. The story found here is much better than many of the so-called blockbusters and the characters are interesting, engaging, and flawed. I love the mystery as everything unfolds and the conflict between all the opposing parties. I'll take this kind of storytelling over the big studio stuff any day.
It (2017)
Surprisingly Bad
I love classic Stephen King and "It" is one of my all time favorites. I just rewatched the old TV mini-series and found it holds up very well after all these years. So, imagine my surprise when I discovered a 27 year old t.v. movie did "It" better than a 2017 big budget film.
I had so many issues with "It". First off, the pacing was terrible. A horror movie should build up to its intense scenes, but these scenes were popping up left and right without any setup. The story is rushed and seems like a half-hearted attempt at a plot to justify the horror scenes. The characters are underdeveloped and many of the scenes and dialogue are cringe-worthy. The casting of Pennywise was a big disappointment and I didn't like the actor's performance at all. The CGI scenes of Pennywise were much better.
"It" was such a big disappointment for me, I'm sorry to say.
Coherence (2013)
Ridiculous Character Actions Ruined a Cool Premise
I admit that the premise was pretty cool, but the way the characters act in this film defies any and all credible explanation.
When some strange things begin to occur the characters immediately jump to the most outrageous conclusions without a hint of hesitation. For example, after a neighborhood blackout a couple of guys return from an outing with a metal case containing pictures of everyone in the group. A real person would assume a joke is being played on them or that someone is having a little fun at their expense. Not this group of people. They immediately assume some unexplainable event must be occurring. Why? Because the plot needs them to. They make absolutely no attempt to find a logical explanation for the events that are going on. To the contrary, based on a single paragraph out of a random quantum mechanics book they all assume that what is happening must be supernatural. From there the movie continues to devolve into a series of ridiculous character actions and motivations that defy any semblance of human nature. In fact, it was beyond ridiculous, I would go so far as to say it was unwatchable.
If you don't require believable explanations for character motivations then you might be able to enjoy this movie. Otherwise, I'd say skip it.