andrewobriandunlap Reviews

Prometheus (I) (2012)

Awesome Theme! Mediocre Movie

[5/10 · 26 December 2023]

Basically an exploration of some Ancient Alien concept of humans having been bioengineered by a more advanced extraterrestrial species. A completely unproven but not entirely implausible theory, and certainly a fun one to imagine. Even though I wouldn't call myself a believer in such conjecture.

Unfortunately none of the main characters were likeable aside from maybe David and Janek, although some of the minor characters were okay. All the actors were fine but the characters themselves were disappointing. There is a noticeable amount of pandering to religious nonsense too, which is never welcome. The conflict that arises toward the end is fairly interesting. I wish they had developed it more and revealed more answers, with a more compelling and relatable set of protagonists.

Ice Cold: Murder, Coffee and Jessica Wongso (2023)

An Alarming Look at the Indonesian Legal System

[7/10 · 2 November 2023]

"The (Indonesian) criminal justice system needs to be reformed." That was probably the truest statement made in this documentary, which could also summarize the entire movie.

Their "expert" witnesses were highly dubious to say the least. They literally brought in a physiognomist (a sort of pseudoscientist judging someone's character based on their facial features) to testify in court! I was flabbergasted! I will not reveal the verdict in my review, so as to avoid spoilers. I have my own suspicions and probably agreed with the outcome. But suffice to say the methods they used to reach that outcome were shockingly backwards and therefore I think the verdict should have been different.

Obviously there are many beautiful aspects of the diverse Indonesian culture and people, but after watching this documentary I will not be planning a trip there anytime soon. No place is perfect, certainly not my own country (United States). But this documentary revealed some serious and frightening flaws in their society. I think it's worth a look, especially if you have even a passing interest in Indonesia.

Encounters (2023)

Mildly Interesting, Nothing Profound

[3/10 · 15 October 2023]

Mostly interviews of alleged eyewitnesses, hardly any compelling evidence. These are not exactly rational skeptics. We hear from several people who are clearly mentally disturbed, feeling the presence of extraterrestrials in their bedroom at night, hearing alien voices in their head, and even claiming to communicate with them using some language of strange noises.

Nearly all of the interviewees are very religious and/or superstitious, which says a lot about their willingness to believe things on faith without empirical evidence. Throughout the series we're often told that if we believe in angels, demons, and spirits then why not believe in aliens too? What a rationale! Other witnesses endured a natural and nuclear disaster. But I'm sure traumatic events never influence people's perception, right?

Rarely and briefly in this series we do hear from a couple of seemingly level-headed researchers and an eyewitness with an alternate explanation. The best I can say is that a few of the witnesses did see something and simply told their story. But overall, unless you like hearing a mixture of rehashed UFO stories and tall tales of alien abduction from kooky attention seekers, I would not recommend this series.

Manifest (2018–2023)

Slow, Choppy Storytelling but Good Messages

[5/10 · 6 June 2023]

Manifest has an interesting premise and a solid ensemble cast of characters who I actually cared about; a quality which is sorely lacking in most shows and movies of the day. Although it could be awfully melodramatic, I really appreciated the show's heartwarming message of family, redemption, unity, and humanity. The acting was fine for this style of show (melodrama).

As the story unfolds it does get a bit too theistic for my taste. Theology tends to fall apart upon even moderate amounts of scrutiny, which doesn't make it the strongest thread to weave a multipart story together. Especially with the way this show likes to mix various theologies with astrology, science fiction, and even tarot. In particular it frequently alludes to Christianity and ancient mythologies in an inevitably nonsensical way. (It barely acknowledges other mainstream religions.)

The endless interpretations and reinterpretations of signs throughout the series can be a bit maddening, much like religion itself. Sadly there are people who find validation in such irrational reasoning in real life, giving them the conviction to carry out their own desires whether good or bad. All the while imagining they're doing so with a god's blessing. But at least the show attempts to address the dangers of blind faith and fundamentalism.

Somehow the scatterbrained hodgepodge of wild assumptions and halfbaked theories employed by the characters manages to come together. But the story unfolds in an unclear manner, and at a painfully slow pace.

The constant mistreatment of passengers (people who boarded flight 828) can also be very frustrating for the viewer. But it really highlights the folly of bigotry. Hating someone over a difference as trivial as which plane they boarded is just as ridiculous as racism. Because we are all one human race, just as the passengers are ordinary people from all walks of life.

Speaking of which, the show does an amazing job at representing people of different ethnicities, ages, and sexual orientations. And it does so without coming off as preachy. It really humanizes people of diverse backgrounds in a very natural way.

Manifest is full of suspense and cliffhanger moments. The plot relies heavily upon injustice and betrayal, which can be emotionally exhausting over time. But I do admire how the show is not afraid to kill off minor or even major characters. This adds weight to the suspenseful moments in a meaningful way, which is also sorely lacking in many other shows. Without going into spoilers, I found the ending a little cheap. Although the way it ended was not entirely inappropriate nor unexpected.

Overall Manifest had slightly more hits than misses. Just enough to hold my interest throughout the years the show ran. Along the way I got invested enough to see it through to the end but I don't necessarily recommend the show.

D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?! (2022)

At Least it Knows it's Conspiracy Theory Nonsense

[4/10 · 13 March 2023]

If you think humans are the most intelligent life on Earth, you might want to watch this "docuseries" and think again! Lol

The first episode gives a somewhat interesting history of aviation in the 1970s and the actual D. B. Cooper case. Then it quickly devolves into embarrassingly absurd conspiracy theories about different aspects of the case.

You'll see grown, middle aged people with too much time and money on their hands chase after wild and fantastic conspiracy theories which they have firmly convinced themselves are true. It's really sad and scary that some of these people have had serious jobs in positions of authority. Although I'll surely earn some downvotes for saying so, this is the same mentality that makes people believe their religion is true, while every other religion that exists or has ever existed is false. One episode is fittingly entitled "Seeing Jesus in the Toast".

Logical fallacies abound! Seemingly endless cringe is packed into an excruciatingly long 4 episode series. But although there is a dangerous level of stupidity on display in this series, at least it also interviews more level headed commentators who acknowledge the fact that these folks are delusional. That's why I've rated it as highly as I did.

Still this series is much too long considering it focuses on silliness more than facts. Therefore I cannot really recommend it, unless you want to study some of the more illogical aspects of human behavior.

Harry & Meghan (2022)

Serves the Intended Purpose for the Intended Audience

[7/10 · 17 December 2022]

I understand why some people may not like to hear the rich complain about their problems, as many reviews seem to harp on. Especially when many of us are struggling financially or simply lack the resources and privileges of the wealthy. I suppose people in developing nations may feel the same way about those of us in developed nations when we complain about our problems too.

But Harry and Meghan seem very conscious of their privilege and the opportunities they've enjoyed. However that doesn't make the challenges they face any less real. I get why people might question the need for royalty or a wealthy class in general. But that's not really the subject of this docuseries.

The fact is that a lot continues to be written and broadcast concerning this family because there is an audience for it. Furthermore, a lot of what has been said about this particular couple has been unfairly negative. As such, I don't blame them for simply wanting to tell their side of the story.

Although it is compelling and well made, my only criticism would be that it's very one-sided. You don't get to hear much from those being critiqued, such as the royal family, their staff, or the Markle family. But to be fair, I'm sure that's the way Harry and Meghan probably felt about much of the media coverage slanted against them. Perhaps it would have been ideal to include a somewhat neutral interviewer or narrator. But overall I think the series accomplishes what it set out to do.

It's unfortunate that things played out the way they did, but at least this series offers some explanation as to why it did. I did appreciate the homage paid to Diana's memory and hearing the two of them speak about her throughout the series. If you're interested in the royal family and their goings on as I am, then you'll probably get something out of "Harry & Meghan" as I did.

Bong of the Living Dead (2017)

Mildly Amusing Stoner Movie, Plus Zombies

[4/10 · 14 December 2022]

Bong of the Living Dead is about a group of stoner friends who are obsessed with zombie movies and then actually get to live through a real zombie apocalypse. Not a bad theme.

The characters are not particularly interesting or likable, but most are at least okay. The beautiful Cat Taylor as a bubbly, New Agey chick named Danielle who says super random stuff is the most entertaining and lovable character. On the other hand, the character called Christ turned out to be a selfish, verbally abusive jerk for no apparent reason.

Some of the humor lands a few chuckles and a couple of the action scenes are okay but there are a few too many scenes of the cast just smoking weed, eating cereal, and getting into (mostly dumb) arguments. I get that it's a stoner movie but it became a tad monotonous. The movie is only about 80 minutes long but probably should have been closer to 60 minutes.

I noticed that this movie has very much of a 1990s feel to it even though it's from 2017. Not necessarily a criticism, just an observation. For example they work at a video rental store, I don't recall seeing anyone use a smartphone, and at home they sit around watching a Spanish language shopping channel because their television doesn't get any other stations. No mention of YouTube or a streaming service like Netflix. Their world has a very retro feel to it, although that could also be an Ohio thing. The movie is set and filmed in that state. It is always nice to see a film set and filmed somewhere (anywhere) other than California or British Columbia.

I wouldn't go as far as recommending Bong of the Living Dead but it is watchable. If you like quirky, low budget B movies like I do, you could do worse. But you could also do so much better.

Agent 11 (2020)

This Movie is Boring and Poorly Made

[1/10 · 8 December 2022]

I've seen a lot of low budget films but this is ridiculous.

The audio is terrible. You can barely hear any of the dialogue but the soundtrack is loud, irritating, and plays almost constantly. The image quality is grainy, looks like it was shot on someone's phone using a bad filter.

The cinematography is on par with a PowerPoint presentation you'd see at work. No joke, the movie is littered with long, boring slideshows of strange images; some of which are clearly random while others are related to the story or backstory in some way which is never explained. In fact the story is virtually nonexistent in this movie.

Agent 11 is supposed to be a legendary agent going on one final mission, but he is shown to be completely incompetent at nearly every turn and the mission feels vague and pointless. The actor also seems just as bored and disinterested with the movie as I felt watching it, which is especially alarming since I guess he's also the director, writer, and producer.

There's also a scene where a woman drugs a guy, then violates him in his sleep, somehow resulting in them becoming a couple. WTF?! But of course nothing sexually graphic is shown, although that would have actually been a welcome break from this monotonous film which is only about an hour long but feels like it lasts forever. They should give out some sort of award to those of us who actually managed to stay awake through the whole thing.

I do not recommend Agent 11! Hard pass for me. Don't waste your time and don't even think about spending money to watch this.

Not Another Zombie Movie.... About the Living Dead (2014)

Stupid, Twisted, Hilarious Fun!

[8/10 · 6 December 2022]

As expected this movie highlights a few zombie genre clichês, but it's not as much of a spoof as I thought it would be. It is however a very funny zombie comedy.

Franklin and Mike are a couple of friends trying to fight their way through a zombie outbreak in their neighborhood. Franklin is kind of the straight man to the hilariously callous Mike. Along the way they meet a colorful cast of other characters, including Mike's stoner cousin Peanut who always seems ridiculously unconcerned.

I was pleasantly surprised just how well the twisted, politically incorrect comedy was played. The low budget special effects and the zany dialogue are definitely part of the humor and charm. Lots of laughs right from the opening scene, and somewhat consistently throughout the film. Why did the doctor look like he was reading his lines from his phone though? Lol

I highly recommend Not Another Zombie Movie, especially if you're into zombie B movies and comedic Black movies.

Creatures (2021)

So Bad it's Almost Good... But Not Quite

[4/10 · 5 December 2022]

A movie about aliens that turn humans into zombies sounds just crazy enough to potentially be fun. But the execution is rather poor and the characters are not very well developed or likable. So I really didn't find myself caring if they were killed off or not. In fact I actually wanted most of them to be offed.

For example, the story begins with a bus full of university students on a field trip to observe meteorites. Most of them are jerks who act like they don't even want to be there. Several of them are relentlessly making fun of another student for being Mexican. Yes they're literally making fun of someone for their race/national origin. Who does that? Shamelessly right in front of everyone at that. Most of the students either participate or raise no objections. I'm no SJW but it struck me as quite bizarre.

I don't fault the movie for the cheesy special effects, because that can actually be part of the charm for many B movies. There were even a few scenes that made me laugh, especially the projectile hedgehog scene. My problem is that the writing was quite bad and random stuff would happen that didn't make any sense. None of the characters had any sort of consistent personality. They would do baffling things with no apparent logic or motive. Story elements are introduced without ever being fleshed out.

With this type of movie one must strike a balance between being comedically farcical and just plain bad. This didn't quite deliver for me but it is watchable, if barely. 4/10 (seems like a star for each time I chuckled, Lol)

Planet of the Vampire Women (2011)

This Movie Was Everything I Hoped it Would Be

[8/10 · 2 December 2022]

Obviously it ain't exactly Star Trek: TNG or anything like that. But Planet of the Vampire Women is everything a campy, sci-fi/comedy B movie should be.

It has just the right amount of cheesiness, hokey special effects, plenty of T&A (heavy on the T), a good amount of sexy violence, comedy, and surprisingly decent characters and world building for this type of movie. Astrid (Stephanie Hyden) was my favorite with all her cute costume changes and poses. Although I did have to question if vampires would be a threat to an android, even if it is a sex droid. I reckon you'll have to watch to find out. Also I appreciate that all the actresses looked fairly natural, including the extras.

Don't expect this movie to advance the genre of science fiction, but if you're looking for fun eye candy then I highly recommend Planet of the Vampire Women.

Bikini Beach Race (1992)

Even Dana Plato + T&A Can't Save This Movie

[2/10 · 27 November 2022]

I do actually enjoy movies that are so bad that they're actually good, but this isn't one of them.

None of the scenes are funny, not even the unintentional humor sometimes found in B movies. The acting is bad and the script is much worse. The attempts at witty one liners are embarrassing. The protagonist and his friends are all very obnoxious and uninteresting. The plot is absurd and the story is boring.

The only reasons to consider watching this are the novelty of seeing Dana Plato in a movie, the extremely good looking girls, and perhaps the 1990s nostalgia. Even with those points of interest it's still hard to watch. The acting and storyline in that silly Night Trap video game (also starring Dana Plato) were actually far more entertaining than this.

Army of the Dead (2021)

Was Ready To Love This But I Absolutely Hated It!

[3/10 · 17 October 2021]

None of the characters were particularly likable but the daughter Kate was extraordinarily annoying! I despise her! Dieter was probably the best. The helicopter pilot who I believe is portrayed by Tom Cruise (Lol JK) is kinda funny too.

I don't necessarily mind the genre cliches borrowed from better movies. There are also tons of things that don't make any sense. Lots of "why would they do that?" and "how could they survive this?" types of moments which I could forgive in a better movie. I just wanted it to be big, bold, flashy, fast, and Vegas. But most of the movie feels like it could have been set anywhere, and it drags on.

Overall the movie is too damn long. The first 15 minutes were the best. There's a fast paced sequence showing the initial zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, complete with zombie showgirls and gory action. Yeah, that's what the whole movie should have been like. At 90 minutes instead of nearly two and a half hours. I mean damn! Seriously guys! I'm only rating as high as 3/10 for those first 15 minutes.

Another Life (2019–2021)

This show got renewed?! Lol

[5/10 · 17 October 2021]

I was shocked that this show wasn't cancelled, but I'm kinda glad it lasted another season. Yes the crew are unprofessional, immature, impulsive, and terribly obnoxious. There are also multiple mutinies/betrayals right from the very first episode and throughout the series. There's practically no discipline or chain of command. The best thing about this cast of characters is that a lot of them get killed off frequently.

William the AI is a disaster too. He's disobedient, absurdly emotional, and inefficient. He misses stuff that should be obvious and the slightest damage to the ship prevents him from accessing its functions. Although they sloppily explained away his incompetence in season 2 and he went on to redeem himself as a character. The other AIs are also frustrating. Gabriel is crazy and Iara is a mess.

This series is fairly "woke", however you feel about that. Could be considered a pro or a con, I'm not really allowed to say more either way. But it's not to the extreme by today's standards.

Niko (Katee Sackhoff) and Richard (Tongayi Chirisa) are my favorite characters. Dillon (Kurt Yaeger) is cool too. And the Earth characters aren't quite as bad as the ones on the ship, although they lack common sense and their government is a joke. The way they succumbed to the Achaia and trusted Seth after he got that Achaian implant was absurd. Their president seemed inept as well.

Other than the insane crew and scatterbrained storytelling, the show is watchable. It also gets a little better in season 2. It's certainly not as bad as The I-Land. I don't really mind the fact that the plot is derivative. Overall I would say this show manages to be so bad that it's almost good, and by the end it was actually kinda good for what it is.

Scream: The TV Series (2015–2019)

Epic, Nostalgic, Love Letter to Slasher Genre Fans

[9/10 · 10 October 2021]

Pros: If you enjoyed the Scream movies you will probably love this series, especially the first two seasons. A fairly ensemble cast in which all the characters are interesting, with Noah Foster (the nerdy, horror movie buff portrayed by John Karna) being my favorite. When characters are actually good like these, you find yourself more invested in the story. You actually care if they live or die so you feel the suspense.

Lots of little clues and suspicions are sprinkled throughout the episodes as the plot develops. It keeps you guessing until nearly the end. Very well played. But I fear these may have been the last years when an entertaining story like this could be told, without excessive amounts of social commentary clumsily forced in.

Cons: Season 3. It wasn't all bad but I wish they would have continued the same story and characters from seasons 1 and 2. I do like the setting of Atlanta although I feel like "Dynasty" actually utilizes it better. There are not really any cons with the first couple of seasons. I get it, season 1 was the best but they're both awesome.

¡¡¡Spoilers Below!!!

SPOILERS: in season 3 they should have killed Kym instead of Amir. He was way more likable. Riley was super likable in season 1 too, but that was necessary for the story.

Freaks (2018)

I'm Giving Up On Y'all That Liked This Movie

[1/10 · 10 October 2021]

The little girl is actually dangerous to herself and others, yet the dad is undermined at every step. Not a very fleshed out story either. This movie leaves me with very little hope in humanity.