Geff Reviews

Christmas Rose (2013)

Would rate a 10 if the subtitles were not 2-3 seconds early.

[9/10 · 15 February 2021]

CHRISTMAS ROSE (2013) Hong Kong. What an astonishing film! I sat for the first time ever, riveted to my chair AT HOME after watching a film and seeing the credits. I am still in shock, and my spine is tingling. Don't miss this film, and just concentrate on the subtitles. The English subtitles are 2 or 3 seconds early, so you have to concentrate on who is talking. It's annoying and hurts the enjoyment of watching the film, but it does nor ruin the power of the message and the story. A celebrity doctor is accused of sexual assault by a young, disabled piano teacher. She teaches his daughter, and she is also his patient. The prosecutor gets this as his first case after being a defense lawyer for 15 years. Note the relationship between the prosecutor and his father. Magnificent story.! asiancrush on ROKU.

The Garden of Eden (2008)

Hemingway's (?) last and unfinished novel

[5/10 · 16 August 2020]

As someone who has studied and taught Hemingway for 40 years and read all his works, countless times, I think the main question here is what would Hemingway himself think of the way he is portrayed in this film. Remember please that someone else finished and edited the entire novel. So can you say it was written by Hemingway? What would he himself think about this work, which was so important to him that he worked on it for decades, and could never get it right enough to finish it. I think he would be enraged and feel betrayed by those who rewrote his work. Hemingway was so unique as a person with a true gift for saying so very much in so very few words, and so unique as a person who had deep human needs coupled with a fearlessness possessed by few, that I dare anyone to copy his style successfully. I have done that over the years, and I've never seen anyone succeed. So finishing the novel, and editing the entire work by another or others, is a fraud to call it a Hemingway novel or film based on it.

The Lighthouse (I) (2019)

Rarely have I ever rated a film 1.

[1/10 · 30 October 2019]

I gave it a rating of 1. The story is simple and disgusting. It is a story of drinking and madness. It's in black and white, mostly black b/c you can hardly see anything. The two characters slur their words, not bothering to enunciate. The script is moronic and basically reciting from literature of some kind, but it is madness, so its content means nothing. They drink; they fight; they both are insane. The film is disgusting and boring, boring, boring. Where did the rating of 8.3 come from. Seriously, something is rotten in Denmark. I wanted to walk out, but I had to write a review of this to warn people.

It Chapter Two (2019)

Coulda been even better. VERY high quality film. Pokes some fun in some scenes.

[8/10 · 26 September 2019]

This is an extremely high quality film with a lot of meticulous input from the screenwriter and director. Too bad the last hour was an ending that just dragged on and on and on. It should have taken 10 minutes to end this. The casting was not Marion Dougherty for sure. She made casting into an art form. Look her up. The opening gay bashing scene was not in the book and seemed forced. Really good CGI and cinematography. Pennywise in this version is more evil and bloodthirsty and ruthless than in the previous two films/TV mini series.

White Boy Rick (2018)

One of the rare times I walked out before the end. ***

[3/10 · 14 October 2018]

Matt can do no wrong, but this time he got a stinker of a script. It's supposed to be a true story, but no way it would happen this way. Maybe it ended up like in the film, but no way the story would evolve the way it is written for the movie. I thought it was dull, unreal, dark, depressing, and the characters in it were not clever, intelligent nor educated, just too aggressive. The script seemed to keep them alive against all reason. I was so bored and depressed that I left before the end. That is very rare. I do not recommend it.

Deadpool 2 (2018)

One film that you must miss.

[1/10 · 18 June 2018]

I was bored, dumbfounded, confused, and deeply disappointed. I was not entertained. I did not like the constant crashing and bashing with no ill effects. I almost fell asleep. Don't waste your time and money. See UPGRADE instead. Now that's a great film for the same price of admission.

Annihilation (I) (2018)

Really awful and a waste of two hours!

[1/10 · 15 March 2018]

Annihilation stars Natalie Portman and Jennifer Jason Leigh and a forgettable supporting cast. It is an awful film. Plays like a British sci-fi film that goes nowhere for two hours and then ends with some quirky ditty. It was a waste of two long hours.

The Shape of Water (2017)

Black Lagoon is being nice. Preposterous rhinoceros.

[1/10 · 30 January 2018]

Isn't it strange that reviews with a 10 rating and very high platitudes for the film always involve Director Worship. In this film, who cares who the director is. I care if he did a good job, but I don't need his filmography or a critique of all his films, nor a comparison of this to that. Silly, boring, and pretentious film. Try to stay awake or not laugh out loud. Here is an example of what may be a studio review. "The Shape of Water" is beautiful. Writer and Director Guillermo del Toro tells the story of the shape of love, that it can look any way you can imagine. His screenplay along with co-writer Vanessa Taylor tells the poignant tale of feeling alone in the world, and the possibility of love that we all deserve." Studio or real?

Phantom Thread (2017)

Creepy and Full of Itself. Reality be damned.

[5/10 · 24 January 2018]

OK. Handsome older man and pretty young girl form a relationship instantly. He becomes abusive b/c that's who he is; so it's OK? He is a renowned dress designer, and has a psychotic personality. DD Lewis is perfect in his role. He is truly an amazing actor. His character in the film, to me, is a mix of Dr. Hannibal Lector and Mr. Rogers. I wanted to leave after 20 minutes. It is painful to watch, and the ending makes you deny reality. I really don't like it, but DDL deserves an Oscar.

Dunkirk (2017)

One of the most dishonestly over-rated films of all time. 1 of 10.

[1/10 · 28 July 2017]

Yes, awful. How can anyone honestly give this film a positive recommendation? It is so amateurish. Whoever wrote the screenplay forgot the story. What story is it! It's not about Dunkirk, the famous WWII evacuation of British troops from France. What about the French troops? The British commander says to hell with them. Two cowards are the focus of the story. They will do anything to get out ahead of everyone else who are patiently waiting, keeping order, and waiting their turn. One other is picked up by a civilian boat on its way to rescue troops at Dunkirk, and he fights the crew to not go back. He kills one of them. Great story? I figure they used 5 planes to make the entire film: three RAF fighters, one German fighter, and one German bomber, all classic planes. Why I say this is b/c they only show three RAF fighters in one scene, and then it's always a one-on-one with all the other scenes. The special effects are from the 1950's. I think they did a better job in Wings, 1927. Also, it's hard to figure out what they are saying. I missed half the dialogue, but I didn't miss much b/c it's so worthless a film. It's aimless, boring, pathetic, and cheap. There is nothing epic about this film. It's a sad joke. What a waste of my money. It's one of the most over-rated films of all time.

Kong: Skull Island (2017)

King Kong 2.0 "It was beauty killed the beast."

[7/10 · 23 March 2017]

Kong: Skull Island. It's an adventure and exciting. It's also stupid and moronic. Samuel L. Jackson plays himself in his own special dense way. His character is oblivious to common sense and logic. John C. Reilly is there for comic relief, I think. A slimmed-down John Goodman is the scientist/explorer who is leading the team to explore Skull Island, just off the coast of Vietnam, 1973. The atom bomb tests weren't what we thought. One was to kill something. That's how stupid this can get. However, it is a real adventure if you dumb-yourself-down to 5 years old and just enjoy it. Great scenery, special effects, cinematography, and the giant ape is appropriate. This film makes up for the first King Kong in 1933 that broke my heart at the end when Carl Denham says, "Oh no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast." I always hated that ending. This film's ending is better. So it's up to you, but I can say I was entertained.

Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

One of the best of the WWII film genre. Amazing.

[10/10 · 17 November 2016]

Hacksaw Ridge: I just saw it and had to write. I left the theatre in a deeply moved state. The film about America's only CO to win The Medal of Honor for heroism in combat is stunning in its realism and depiction of the horrors of the South Pacific Campaign in WWII. The story is true, and at the end of the film the real main character addresses some of the film's content. The special effects are incredible to behold, and the thunderous roar of the battleships' big guns is only topped by the barrage of huge explosions on Hacksaw Ridge. I was additionally attached to the film's content b/c my own father fought in three similar battles in the South Pacific in WWII. He never spoke of it. I only found out after his death in 2010 that he was awarded six medals during WWII and fought and survived three of the most savage battles in the war against Japan: Anguar Island, Peleliu, and Luzon. The film brings it all to you , and I realized that this is what my quiet, peaceful, unassuming father had kept to himself all my life. It is a film that you will never forget; congrats to Mel Gibson on another directorial success. It's a must-see.

In the Heart of the Sea (2015)

Astonishingly good film in all ways

[10/10 · 20 December 2015]

In the Heart of the Sea (2015) is an excellent film. It's movie-making at it's best, and no one hits you over the head with any kind of political propaganda, like "Save the whales." It's there, but it's just reality and part of a superb tale of how Herman Melville got the idea for his classic American novel, Moby Dick. All parts are acted perfectly, and the casting is professional, too. The filming of the storm scenes and the whale hunts are gripping. The appearance of the great white whale puts Godzilla to shame. I loved every minute of this film, and there was not an instant of regret for seeing it with my free ticket. See it on the big screen before it leaves the movie theaters. I didn't need 3D, so if you choose that option, it may be good to check comments on IMDb.com to see if there are 3D comments. Some films are phony 3D, if you know what I mean.

Jurassic World (2015)

Jurassic World (2015)

[7/10 · 24 June 2015]

Firstly, the most important thing to me is that overall I was entertained. That doesn't mean that there were several things in and during the film that annoyed me. I had no idea where the twin Blutosaurus came from. The total disregard for the safety of the thousands and thousands of tourists on the island was totally sick. The casting all around was either wrong or could have been much better. Where have you gone Marion Dougherty? There are parts of the film that are "dead air" and should have ended up on the cutting-room floor. The ego-centric, ditsy, almost-stupid and incompetent park manager was a major annoyance. The hierarchy of the park is always in doubt as to who is really in charge. The toothasaurus was definitely in charge. The warning system was by phone: Hello. "Houston, we have a problem." Godzilla has escaped. And that brings up the idea I had that this would have been a perfect film for Godzilla to re-emerge. There were too many instances of humans outrunning sprinting 60mph dinosaurs. The macho-man hero, who really did nothing, accomplished nothing, and ended up subservient to the ditsy, irresponsible aunt-in-charge, was cast perfectly; too bad he did nothing. With all its shortcomings, it is still an entertaining film. With a better cast, a better script, a better super-monster, it could have been a real contender for eternal greatness (but it's not). One last note: I loved the (flying) Teradactyls! Again, I was genuinely entertained for the most part and the time flew by.

The Insider (1999)

The Insider and a great performance by Bruce McGill

[10/10 · 1 April 2015]

The Insider is one of the best films of all time. Great performances by all, including a gripping performance in a courtroom scene by Bruce McGill. When I think of The Insider, and Al Pacino and Russell Crowe and Christopher Plummer and all the other great performances, I think of that courtroom scene and McGill (D-Day). He should have gotten a Best Supporting Actor award for that one scene. Check it out. The Insider is definitely one of the best thrillers of all time, and based on the true story of the legal case against the tobacco companies. After seeing this film, you'll know why you could never quit smoking. Only Russell Crowe, the insider, knows why.

The Imitation Game (2014)

Best Film I've seen this year. Best Film in a long time.

[10/10 · 10 February 2015]

I just saw The Imitation Game, and it is a film experience to remember. The film is based on the British WWII team that broke the German "Enigma" code. It is mainly about one brilliant man who led the team, Turing. The cast is superb and includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Mark Strong, and Allen Leech. All are perfectly cast and perform flawlessly. The cinematography, costumes, and screenplay are all excellent. The settings move from the "present" in 1953 back to 1928 and then 1941, back and forth continuously, woven together perfectly. If you want to see a fascinating thriller where the future of the world is really at stake, this one will not disappoint you. I think it's one of the best British films to come along in a long time.

The Equalizer (2014)

When you're a vigilante, it's tough to stay retired, I guess.

[8/10 · 30 September 2014]

The Equalizer stars Denzel Washington as a man who tries to leave his past behind by faking his own death, but life catches up with him. He witnesses a young, beautiful girl brutalized and enslaved by ultra-violent Russian gangsters and decides that he has to come out of retirement. He uses his black-ops skills to kill everyone in his path, despite his promise to his now dead wife to be good. When you're a vigilante, it's tough to stay retired, I guess. On a scale of 1 to 10 as an action movie, it's a 10. He can kill faster than a vampire, and he times himself to see how fast he is. It is a fantasy vigilante film, and he gets revenge in super-super-human style. You must suspend disbelief to enjoy it fully. Good film of its genre. The audience got into it and were cheering in good humor.

Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

One of the worst and sadly funny films of all time

[1/10 · 28 July 2014]

I thought it was awful when I first saw it almost 60 years ago, and I just saw it again yesterday and it is as awful now as it was then. It is a preposterous and psychotic look at teenagers, and it's also a teen exploitation film of the 50's. I think THE BLOB had more meaning. Jim Backus in that kitchen apron was a hoot. He was the Father Knows Best about nothing character, totally hapless. It was the beginning of the destruction of the male/father image in TV and film in America. We had Archie Bunker and Al Bundy and many other impotent and stupid fathers to follow. The film is a bust; the acting is so bad. Sal Mineo is almost salivating over James Dean, and James Dean is really the psycho here. In today's world, he'd be locked up in a mental institution for what he says and does and how he acts. And by the way, he has just got to turn himself into the police. What a dolt. The leader of the pack says to Jimbo before they race, "I like you." Oh, Please!!! Poor Natalie Wood. I don't think she knew what to do or who to be. No direction. These characters are just so dumb, that you have to think if it was the screen writer who was dumb, or did he make the kids out to be so dumb on purpose. Lastly, I loved the address book. That whole plot line was so flawed. so there.

Pacific Rim (2013)

Pacific Dim

[4/10 · 26 July 2013]

Not very bright screenplay. Pathetic in places. I think it was really a plot to get people to buy tickets to a dinosaur film. I was rooting for the dinosaurs. However, the pea-brain sized dinosaurs were smart. They had high SAT scores. This was a sad disappointment. Thankfully, I did NOT see it in 3D. They wanted another $4.50 to see it in 3D. Also, you could not discern the robots from the dinosaurs in combat thanks to the terrible cinematography. You can't see who's winning the fight. It is schmaltz to the 10th degree. Save your money. See it on TV in ten years. Oh, and one more thing. You need sub-titles to understand the Australian. gidday.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)

This is a greatly unappreciated film. I loved it.

[10/10 · 26 February 2013]

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. I love to review a film this good and this unappreciated. The mood is very similar to Sleepy Hollow. It's dark and woodsy and beautiful in a scary way. Children are missing and witches are suspected. The film is smart enough to poke fun at itself, but serious enough to scare the hell out of you. The witches are ugly, powerful, intelligent, merciless, and dark. The film is a gem in its cinematography, casting, cast, acting, and story. I was expecting less and got a lot more for my money. Don't believe any negative reviews. Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton star in this film that's definitely NOT for children. Expect very violent battle scenes between the witches and the two bounty hunters, Hansel and Gretel.

Argo (2012)

best thriller in years; madness all around

[10/10 · 25 October 2012]

Not since Jaws have I left a movie theatre and brought fear with me. It is a palpable fear brought on by the film's credibility. The Iranian Islamist extremist characters are all monsters and very intelligent and very scary. At times, I was reminded of Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now when he writes in his memoirs, "Drop the bomb; exterminate them all." This film really depicts the futility of trying to bargain with mad men. They are depicted as killer apes in human form; madness permeates the country from top to bottom. This is not religion in any way, shape or form; it is madness. Every scene is directed with such a deft touch by Affleck, and it is definitely one of the best films I've seen this year. Memorable is a word I would use to characterize it. Don't miss it.

2016: Obama's America (2012)

2016: Obama's America is terrifying. Why not exposed in 2008?

[10/10 · 1 September 2012]

Obama's America in 2016 translates into perceptible reality all the insanity in Washington that is coming out of the White House. Why does the deficit grow and no one seems to care, as if they want it to keep rising so we crash as a civilization. It's all here. I looked at fellow movie-goers in the theater and mouths were wide open and chins dropped. You could hear a pin drop. No one said a word throughout the entire documentary. This is not propaganda like Michael Moore's films, but fact-checked and documented, many times with excerpts from Obama's own writings. It's real and explains his life from his birth in Hawaii to his step father, his father, his grandfather, his communist mentoring, his family in Kenya, his dreams from his father as told to him by his mother, and it all comes into focus. Who is this guy who spent very few years in congress and gets elected to the most powerful position on earth by faith alone. Everyone who voted for him didn't know him or didn't want to look for the truths. It reminded me so much of pre WWII documentaries on the improbable rise to power by Hitler, his lies and his double-speak. Why did people vote for him? It's terrifying to see the same process happening again. Everyone must see this. I was nauseous when I left the theatre an hour ago, and I still am. This film shows how a second Obama term will affect your lives in a big way, your way of life, your freedoms that we all take for granted, and the future world, which may be made-up of multiple conflicts, raging inflation, and a palpable lowering of the standard of living for all Americans, rich and poor alike. Will Israel cease to exist? This is serious stuff and everyone has to see it, especially people who voted for Obama. Now I know why all the insanity is happening. Terrifying.

Hanna (2011)

How does this film obtain a 7.7 rating? 7.7 Oh, please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[1/10 · 23 April 2011]

Contains spoilers: This film, Hanna, was god-awful. I was angry when I left the theatre after ruining my afternoon watching a film with such a stupid, faulty plot. There are just too many mistakes and holes. Hanna is a 16 year old ANOREXIC-LOOKING supposed genetic super human. Right away you know the casting is all wrong. She looks so weak. Sometimes she kills commandos immediately, and then other times she fights with skin-head caricatures for hours it seems. Silly stuff. To view this film's comments, use the "hated it" filter. I think the film's cast and backers shamelessly used IMDb.com for their selfish, untrue, and dishonest promotion of the film. No one with half a brain would recommend this film. There are plot holes which should anger you. Also, we are never told why she has to die or why the skinny little girl is a threat to US security. Why does she look longingly, lesbian-like into her new friend's eyes as they are lying in bed together? What happens to that girl and her family? We are not told. What did her foster-father ever do to deserve such treatment from her at the end? He then sacrifices his life for her! She has knowledge of everything in the world, but acts like one of the Beverly Hillbillies when it comes to turning on a light or using electric appliances, but then she just walks into a computer/coffee café and goes online. This is one of the dumbest films of all time. I was just so angry to have wasted my time and money on this film that was rated so highly on IMDb. Why does this film deserve a 7.7 rating? 7.7 Oh, please. Something is really, really wrong with the ratings system if this can happen.

Skyline (2010)

1=AWFUL...One AWFUL Film

[1/10 · 21 November 2010]

Only 1 in 12 thought this was a good film. 1 in 4 thought this was an awful film. I am one of those who couldn't believe my senses. It was that dumb and that bad and that unsatisfying. Awful. I kept waiting for something intelligent to happen. It never did, and then suddenly it just ended, just as suddenly as it began. I felt cheated out of my money and my time. The film does nothing, says nothing, proves nothing, and goes nowhere. In two years, this will be a dollar-store special. Once upon a time, a vacuum cleaner from space cleans up Los Angeles. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for cleaning up Los Angeles. Thank you for wasting my time. Thank you for making me write ten lines for this preposterous web site that requires ten lines for a critique. Whatever happened to verbose and concise. Verbose is bad. Concise is good. Why ten lines when you can say it all in five. So there it is.

Dear John (I) (2010)

Been there... and a comment on the DEAR JOHN film reviews

[10/10 · 14 February 2010]

I went to see Dear John just to see if they caught the emotion involved with this sort of thing. Mine occurred in 1969, and it is still sometimes painfully disturbing to me. The film caught the intense youthful attraction, the relationship that can develop in a short period of time before deployment, the love that resists separation, but only for so long, the intense feeling of loyalty for comrades that you've trained with and fought with, the addition of the 9/11 country-at-war component into his decision to reenlist, and the painful solitary existence suffered by a youthful female waiting and living only by letters and consequently driving her to another relationship, despite her love for her soldier. "Frailty, thy name be woman." (Shakespeare) As to many of the comments, I can say to the negative ones, I saw the film and disagree. The film was right-on. I don't care ever about comparing a book to a movie. You can't compare apples and oranges. One should judge a film for its making and its cast and acting. The book is the book, and the film is the film. I'll give you an example of the reverse, a bad book made into a classic film. The Graduate is a classic film that broke many Hollywood moulds and was superb as a film. As a book, however, it was cheesy and redundant and, in my opinion, poorly written. So, one should judge a film solely on its merits, not on a comparison to a book. It is not a legitimate judgment, nor does it make for a legitimate review. The only time I would include a book in a review is if the filmmaker leaves out a detail in the film that is included in the book, and it is a necessary component to understand the meaning of the film or the outcome of the film. For example, the ending of 2001 A Space Odyssey, was completely unintelligible to the ordinary viewer if one had not read the book. That was a major flaw that affected one's ability to understand and enjoy the film. This is an example of when the book can be introduced into a film's review. Dear John was a perfectly clear and understandable film. There's one more thing. Some of the male lead's (Channing Tatum's) detractors said in lengthy reviews that his acting was abysmal. I thought he was accurate in his portrayal of a young soldier living with the thought of imminent combat or deployment to a lonely and difficult assignment anywhere in the world. Also, his father stole the joy of life from him, and not intentionally. He, as an actor, portrayed that perfectly. I have never seen nor heard of him before, and I've never seen his prior work, but he was right-on for the character he played. Why do reviewers waste their time comparing films to the book? It is not a legitimate component of a review other than what I mentioned. Please don't waste your time and mine with comments like, "The book was much better." Who cares?! Dear John is a very good film.