Win-5 Reviews

Next Goal Wins (2023)

Not Just Another Supports Movie

[7/10 · 28 November 2023]

I'm not a sports guy, and I'm not a sports movie guy. I liked Field of Dreams, but never saw Hoop Dreams. But this movie has honest people, and honest culture, and honest heart, and an honest story, based on fact. The most-failing goalie? Fact. The trans player? Fact. The rock-bottom coach? Fact. Pull them all together into a mostly-fact-based movie? I'm there, and I needed a kleenex when it was over.

Side note: I've enjoyed many of Taika Waititi's movies, but inserting himself into the story often seems unnecessary, and this is a prime example. The Priest adds almost nothing to the plot, and mostly says "Hey, look at me!"

Once Were Brothers (2019)

Wonderful, but horribly biased

[6/10 · 23 September 2023]

I love the history and the old footage of one of my favorite groups, both the concert films and the personal shots, but this documentary is horribly biased toward Robbie Robertson, while three people who might tell a different tale are dead. In particular, Robbie says that after The Last Waltz, "everybody just forgot to come back." This ignores the fact that he declared the group done, without asking the other four members, and ignores the fact that they went on to record multiple albums without him. Again, I'm glad this film exists, but I worry that anyone would consider it to be the complete story.

Prospect (2018)

Far deeper than expected

[8/10 · 30 August 2021]

I'm quite sure I've never seen a movie, or any story, where the teen girl performs an amputation to save the life of the guy who killed her father. This was a captivating story, with better-than-expected acting.

Waitress (2007)

Heartfelt, but just...

[7/10 · 13 October 2020]

Heartfelt, but just a chick flick. I did not find out until later that (spoiler alert) Adrienne Shelley died shortly after making this movie. This was clearly an outpouring of her view of life, her love of humanity and her beautifully mixed emotions about motherhood. But... but... it's still just a chick-flick, where the women all bond in sisterhood, and the guys are all faulted, except the hero, who's only a little bit faulted. Six stars for just-a-chick-flick, eight for a wonderful writer-director's vision, so, seven stars.

Gorky Park (1983)

Cheezy

[4/10 · 5 May 2020]

All the elements of "cheezy" are here. There's incredibly inhuman dialog, there's everyone (except the ultra-pure hero!) double-crossing everyone, there's the premise that the 1812 Overture could cover gunshots, there's even cheezy music by James Horner, over a decade before he worked on "Titanic." I started the movie expecting something good, and ended it expecting cheese... and I was not disappointed.

Star Trek: Voyager: Hope and Fear (1998) Season 4, Episode 26

So many plot holes!

[6/10 · 1 March 2020]

Aside from the fact that both Janeway and Seven of Nine were far more indecisive than they've ever been, this story relies on one "coincidence" after another. They just happen to meet someone who can help with their current problem! And it just happens that he can use this to his advantage! And it just happens that a very-helpful ship is nearby! And on and on, I ran out of patience long before the "stunning" finish.

Fantastic Four (2015)

Don't delay the action!

[7/10 · 10 December 2016]

I gave this a 7/10 for the high production values - the alien setting and the high-tech devices and especially Ben's CGI were all great, just what you'd want in a FF story.

But sheesh, will someone please tell Hollywood that we don't need to start every FF movie, every superhero movie, with the origin story? This is an hour-and-a half movie, and they spent half of that laying the groundwork for the stuff that should have appeared in the first five minutes. Please START a superhero movie with the superheroes! START a Fantastic Four movie with Ben in his rocky-skinned glory, lifting heavy equipment while Johnny zooms his flames around and Reed tweaks dials from 30 feet away! Explain the details later, but start with the action! Show a few hints at the very beginning how Sue's powers, simple as they may be, are actually the strongest of the bunch! Any by the way, Doom's comic-book origin is pretty good (viz the current Dr Strange movie), so there's no need to warp it into this new FF origin.

No, this movie has to lay the groundwork, and make sure we see tech people doing tech things, and spend boring time in labs and offices and with an unnaturally-low-pitched Daddy Storm telling us how "these kids" are so wonderful. Don't tell, show.

The Night of the Hunter (1955)

Cartoon-inspired storytelling

[4/10 · 5 April 2015]

Drama-filled, yes, that's this movie, but it's not as gripping as Bugs and Daffy facing off Elmer during Duck Season. This classic from the 50s is filled with artful cinematography, award-winning actors, renowned authors, and the corniest, most hackneyed direction that I've seen since the Coyote went off the cliff while chasing the Road Runner. Evil Preacher chases after the Children, and - oh, my gosh! - he stumbles as they escape! As he comes closer to his prey, we cut to... an owl chasing after an innocent bunny! (Get it? It's a metaphor! Get it?) And if you missed some important moral point, we'll bring on Lillian Gish to pound it into you with a monologue which borders on sermon.

It's hard to imagine that, even in 1955, audiences were willing to accept this as serious story-telling, when Bugs Bunny's "What's Opera, Doc?" had even more depth of feeling and life-like characterizations.

The Rockford Files: Dirty Money, Black Light (1977) Season 3, Episode 22

Not up to the show's standards

[7/10 · 23 November 2014]

I was disappointed with this episode. Both the writing and directing were "off" - Rockford didn't come off as smart as he usually does, the federal agents seemed dull-witted, and various plot holes kept showing up. For example, Larry tells his thugs to tail Rockford, and they go, but immediately afterward we see Rockford, clearly not being tailed. We learn early on that Rocky is in Hawaii, but we don't learn until later that he won a contest. The interrogation room has a frosted observation window in the ceiling - completely unlike any we've seen before or since. These may be little points, but when they come one after the other during the entire episode, they add up to an unsatisfying episode in an otherwise great series.

Eraserhead (1977)

See it twice - 30 or so years apart

[7/10 · 10 October 2012]

I saw this when it was new, at a midnight movie. It was about a step and a half too weird for me - I stayed for the whole show, but I never knew what I was seeing. I knew it was creative, I just didn't know what it was creating, rather like The Baby - I don't know what it is, but it's a creation.

So, after an appropriate pause (30+ years), I watched it again. It's still weird, it still shows the low-budget style (yet it seems no money was spared in getting The Baby just right), but I now see much more of the narrative, probably thanks to Twin Peaks and Mulholland Dr. - Yes, it jumps or wanders or steps smoothly from the film's dreamlike reality into the movie's realistic dreams, but it all makes sense. I'm not sure it's *supposed* to make sense, but it does, especially if taken from the point of view of Henry, the "hero."

Try it once - if you don't get it, try it in thirty years, and get back to me.

To Have and Have Not (1944)

Better than that other Bogie movie

[10/10 · 14 June 2009]

You think I'm kidding - that other movie has been called the all-time best movie, even rated #1 here at IMDb. It's a good movie, but this one is better. Why? In the first place, this movie handles the plot turns (there aren't any real "twists," but that's a plus) with aplomb. You never think Humphrey Bogart is going to say no, but the way he ends up saying "Yes" is wonderfully engaging. Lauren Bacall shows every piece of eye candy before and since that there's more to a role than just slinking across the screen... I'm sorry, I was lost in the image of her slinking across the screen. Anyway, her role carries a beautiful uncertainty - she's a star, so you know she'll be there at the end, but that doesn't prevent you from being curious about her every move. And the there's Walter Brennan, who takes a second-string role and turns it into a delight at every turn. He's a lush who can't string two thoughts together, and yet he sees all, knows all, and tells too much to the wrong people. And that walk! The booze, the sea, and the years, all rolled into one gait that's both wavering and seaworthy. And I haven't even gotten to the story. This movie is delightful enough to make anyone forget any other movie.

Steal This Movie (2000)

Better than you think (...than I expected)

[7/10 · 28 September 2008]

I was prepared not to like this movie, to think that it did a superficial job. As I watched, I remained unconvinced - the lead-up to the Chicago riots, the demonstrations and riots themselves, the Chicago 8-or-7 Trial, these were nothing new, no great storytelling.

But when Abbie went underground, and Anita raised their son without him, and Abbie's life took the crazy course it took, that's when this film came alive, and when the characters turned into people. Was the film 100% accurate? I don't know. But I do know that there was life to be had, not just cardboard cutouts of the myths. I was engaged, and I was moved, and I was impressed.

The Crimson Kimono (1959)

Detective movie AND cultural lesson!

[7/10 · 24 June 2008]

I was truly surprised by this movie - I expected a basic potboiler, with a random collection of Japanese and/or Chinese stereotypes... but what I got was a potboiler (sorry, the plot's pretty basic) AND an interesting set of insights into Japanese-American culture. I'm trying to picture a 1959 audience attending this movie... were they expecting an Oriental thriller? Or perhaps a pseudo-noir detective movie? (I'm also trying to resist comparing this to the last half-dozen episodes of Law & Order I've seen)

Meanwhile, this movie has no sense of "outsider's look at foreigners," no sense of "those people are strange," just a lot of "here's what they do, and here's what their daily life includes." All wrapped up in... a B-grade movie. But that just means that the cultural pieces lift up the otherwise-average quality of the rest of the movie!

Spy Train (1943)

Bad, even for a B-movie

[5/10 · 10 April 2008]

Perhaps it can be chalked up to the wartime shortages - all the good actors were fighting WWII, as were all the good directors, screenwriters, set builders, sound recorders, etc. They started with a bad story containing far too many contrivances, requiring the first ten minutes to be non-stop exposition which then had to be repeated a few times throughout the film to make sure we all understood. Then they brought in the uninspiring leading man, and the blocky staging by the director, and put them on a minimal set (a train's dining car and sleeping car). Add a few shuffling black porters and some classic wartime German stereotypes, and not a lot of imagination, and the result is this time-filler.

I'm Not There (2007)

All grump, no fun

[6/10 · 27 December 2007]

This movie does a great job of capturing Bob Dylan's angry, annoyed, snide, and generally unpleasant side, but shows nothing of the fun side - the closest that it comes is a brief shot of Dylan (portrayed by Cate Blanchett this time) cavorting with The Beatles, circa "A Hard Day's Night," but even that devolves into an unhappy, drugged-out scene of Dylan stomping all over everyone's emotions, including his own. Come to think of it, that's how many of the scenes end up... Richard Gere's character is interesting, but was probably the least connected to any side of Dylan that I know. Young Marcus Carl Franklin was good, until he turned into something of a fraud. Ben Whishaw, Christian Bale, and Heath Ledger were convincing, but no fun. Where was the Bob Dylan who enjoyed life, who joked with his friends rather than insulting them, who toyed with journalists (as opposed to berating them), where was the obvious joy of "Everybody Must Get Stoned"? My sneaky suspicion is that director/writer Todd Haynes doesn't actually like Dylan-the-man, even if he admires Dylan-the-songwriter (and singer, and poet, and all those other great things that Dylan's known for). So he made a mean-spirited movie, and spent a lot of time and effort on playing with the camera, and missed a big chunk of life.

I Am Curious (Blue) (1968)

Better than Yellow, if you're patient

[7/10 · 26 March 2007]

After seeing both films, I'd characterize Yellow as the more light-hearted of the two, but Blue has much more to offer. It might just be that I was more prepared for the semi-random storytelling, but I spent less time feeling lost and/or jerked around during Blue - while still not having an actual plot, it seemed to spend more time on the people and the relationships, to good effect. Lena is facing more of the world, getting closer to the people she meets, and facing the "dark side" of people's personalities. Friends turn out to be not fully committed to her politics, or they treat each other poorly, or they do not care for her as she wishes they would. It's not always a pretty movie, but it's definitely one worth seeing.

Rendezvous (1935)

Featuring Roz Russell as Myrna Loy!

[6/10 · 4 June 2003]

I enjoyed this movie - it wasn't a classic, but it was definitely a cut above the norm. The fascinating part was, in my opinion, seeing Rosalind Russell in a "Myrna Loy" role! It was like watching one of the Thin Man movies - seeing her interact with William Powell, speaking lines like Nora Charles, and even looking very much like Myrna Loy.

The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964)

Standard Hammer schlock - but good schlock!

[5/10 · 30 October 2000]

Well, let's see, this was NOT a low-budget film, so that counts in its favor. It covered turn-of-the-century England and ancient Egypt, in standard Hollywood (okay, Elstree) style, so we'll give it another half-point. But it's still schlock, with a fairly slow pace to the storytelling, so I'll give it a middling Five points.

Fight Club (1999)

All style, no substance? No, but wrong proportion

[6/10 · 10 October 2000]

It's not ALL style and NO substance, but the film makers obviously were much more concerned with looking cool than with presenting a story which held together or had a consistent level of reality-vs-fantasy. The surprise twist towards the end was very clever, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it didn't explain a large number of earlier-on scenes and situations. But hey, it's cool! Dazzling camera work! Astonishing effects! Grooving music! (Sorry, folks, that's great for a TV commercial, not a feature film)

The Starfighters (1964)

So bad, it's... bad.

[1/10 · 22 September 1999]

I agree with Vegeta-2, except for the implication that the MST3k treatment makes this film watchable. They try, but even THEY run out of jokes - this is one tedious movie! And although I doubt that "Poopy Suit" is the real name of that outfit, nobody can understand what they're really calling it, so Poopy Suit it is. The most action you'll see in this movie is the pilots testing the poopy suit... in a swimming pool. (yawn)

Pygmalion (1938)

Good, but not "My Fair Lady"

[7/10 · 7 November 1998]

This is a wonderful telling of a great story, but I'm afraid I'm spoiled by My Fair Lady (the musical based on this play) - my wife and I kept bursting into song at various points!

We greatly enjoyed the young Wendy Hiller, as well as many of the supporting characters, but Leslie Howard is a weak actor in an unlikeable role.