Reviews
Encounters (2023)
A missed opportunity or intentional ridicule?
As a UFO-buff, I have been excited to watch this show since the trailer came out, especially because of the Ariel School UFO incident involving 60 school-children in Zimbabwe seeing 3 real aliens communicating with them telepathically.
Instead, we are introduced to a very vague "light in the sky" incident, without any compelling evidence at all. Disappointed and sad? No, it's more than that - this is intentional, to ridicule this topic as much as possible and cover this phenomena, which is as real as the nose on your face.
There are so many good encounters out there, such as the Nimitz incident, Travis Walton abduction, Ariel School, the Pascagoula incident, Phoenix Lights, Ingo Swann Moon Penetration, Philip Corso reverse engineering testimonies, Robert Salas Nuclear Missile Station incident, the list goes on and on and on and yet, they choose a "mysterious light in the sky"-incident as the first episode??
This is clearly intended to ridicule this topic further. I give it a 7, because we need to push this topic in the open, even though it means, doing it in a ridiculous way.
Invasion (2021)
Partially great cinematography paired with stupid characters and incredibly slow pace
As a sci-fi aficionado I watch everything sci-fi: especially the kind that has a base in reality and the world we are currently living in. Unfortunately, most movies and series are seriously flawed in either technical aspects or the logic of characters.
Another aspect is that you need to get some kind of emotional connection to the characters. Only the girl at the japanese space agency makes sense - all the others take one stupid decision after the other - it is frankly unbelievable. The relationship drama between the couple seems completely irrelevant to the story build-up and minutes of valuable screen time is wasted on their squabble.
Same thing with the school class. The same gibberish just continues that has no story build-up to the essence of the "Invasion" at all. Nothing. It's like making a movie about an F1 racer, and then add a problem with the toilet. We are watching the INVASION - Not sex education.
Having seen the 5th episode, the build-up so far is extremely slow, filled with nonsense and unexciting dialogue. It could have been SO GREAT!
The cinematography is partly excellent. There are tonnes of scenes with great depth and eerie atmosphere that could have made for an awesome series, but again - flawed over and over again by losing focus on the exciting parts and giving time to nonsense.
One particular scene sums-up this entire series. A soldier is severely injured but still determined to find his fellow friends. He is out of water. Food. Electronics. But guess what makes him most excited? When he finds more ammo. Stopped watching after that. It is so tragically stupid and sad.
Atomic Blonde (2017)
A cinematic masterpiece with a Soundtrack to match
You will read a lot of reviewers on here that complains about the nudity in this movie. In fact, this seems to be the main reason why they give this movie a low review. They ignore the gore and the overly detailed and close-up violence. No, they complain about visible nipples being unnecessary.
A movie is a way to tell a story. You can choose to censor this story to fit an anti-sexist/feminist narrative. Are these scenes unnecessary? No. Will the abscence of this make the movie better? No. In fact, the nudity is completely a part of the movies raw theme and the dramatic feeling it accompanies.
This movie is intense. It's raw. It shows nipples. It is violent. But it is honest. Do you want to see an honest movie, barred of any sensitivity programme, or do you want a Disney movie?
Atomic Blonde is a cinematic masterpiece and together with the classic 80's soundtrack that make you feel the culture in a post wall Berlin, it is also detailed and intelligent and sets a new standard for movie-making in the spy genre. Atomic Blonde isn't a female Casino Royale or Bourne Identity - It has wit, talent and class to stand on its own and some and whether you like the honesty or not - It will take your breath away from the moment you hear Blue Monday '88.
Numb (2015)
Classic storyline with flawed logic throughout the movie
The story is simple - A recently financially crippled couple finds an incredible opportunity to get rich the easy way - By treasure hunting a stash of gold hidden some 20 years ago from a bank robbery. Cinematics and sound are great and the acting is "ok" for the most part. However - Why do the directors insist that people are stupid? The movie gets me up to the point where logic gets so flawed, it simply can't be ignored.
SPOILERS FOLLOWS:
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01. When they find the old man - they don't take off his clothes - And the driver is a forest site inspector, used to the cold weather and don't know how to treat someone with hypothermia? I IGNORED THIS.
02. Openly arguing about the "treasure" in a restaurant with the possibility of camera surveillance? I IGNORED THIS.
03. Stealing a GPS although they found several thousand dollars in the old mans pockets? I IGNORED THIS.
04. Not taking into consideration that 4 million dollars worth of gold would weigh a minimum of 300 pounds and not bring any rucsac for any of the 4 people in the group? I IGNORED THIS.
05. Go out for the treasure "hunt" with ZERO planning? I IGNORED THIS.
06. Go out in the morning without buying ANY NECESSARY EQUIPMENT or protective clothing? Well, this I couldn't ignore. WHO in their right mind would go out in feet deep snow in loafers, no gloves, no hat AND NO planning of the terrain to cover? WTF? No shovel? No backpack? I mean - COME ON - They could have bought all their equipment in any gas station.
AND - Obviously - Everything goes down hill from here. There are thousands of other narratives that could have been exploited in this scenario. There is a hidden conflict between the pairs. Moral issues. Equipment failure. Gold moved. Hard ground. They brake into the cabin (this could have been much better used in the movie).