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Reviews
Dune: Part Two (2024)
Notably better than the first one
Personally I think the first episode of Villeneuve's Dune was a bit overrated due to the monotone acting. Something I felt dragged the visual experience down. This second installment was a much better cinemagic experience. The people were felt living this time around, which made the stakes feel a lot more palpable.
Only complaint I have is a bit of a spoiler. In the big battle, I am 100% sure _that_ is not what would happen if three nukes goes off simultaneously near a battlefield, everybody getting covered in a bit of sand and getting up brushing it all off. Maybe the idea was that there was an all encompassing shield protecting everybody? If that was the case, it could definitely have been demonstrated clearer, like the force field body armour. But other than that, it is an amazing movie.
Looks like I have to keep typing here to get to 600... One more thing to be aware of, these blockbusters are getting exceptionally loud. Borderline '80s rock concert loud. If that isn't for you, you probably need to bring some hearing protection! :)
Another one more thing... Villeneuve clearly learned from the first episode to not make half a movie too dark to see what was happening...
Two thumbs up, and a leg and half!
Bird Box: Barcelona (2023)
Who are we rooting for here?
This is a terrible example of how not to write a story. Are we supposed to feel sorry for, or root for, a mental person on a mass murder spree, because of his "motivation"? It might have worked as a movie if the lead focus had shifted once the "big reveal" had played out. But, it didn't. We kept following him trying to murder as many people as possible. Justifying it with him talking to his own imagination. The ending felt tacked on to try save some sort of "happy ending" for a couple of the "supporting actors". I had high hopes for this movie. The premises of a world where your only way to survive is to stay "blind" is great. This movie kind of just ruined it all.
The Flash (2023)
Well executed attempt to fix the contentious Justice League tone
Full disclosure: I have not watched the Flash streaming series with Ezra Miller. I have watched all the previous movies that are attached to this movie's slice(s) of the DC Universe. So I won't have any opinion on how this connects to the series. :)
I think, this movie felt like a good jolt, to get the franchise on track towards something a bit less serious and dark than what we have seen in the Justice League movies. A super hero that doesn't take himself too serious, even though his origin story is quite tragic. Michael Keaton is also doing a great job reprising his role from the '90s.
I am sure the plot hole hunters on YouTube will have a field day with this story, as any story written around time travelling will have big problems keeping the ends tied up. The whole concept is after all chronically flawed in itself. I do think they managed to keep the story from falling as much apart as the Multiverse in that other franchise is at the moment.
Only gripes I have with this movie is that Ezra Miller do tend to overact the loud teenager a bit. It can get a bit much in some dialogues with that other teenager. The end credit scene, funny as it was, might also be a bit illogical to put in there. It puts them in a trajectory that could make the stakes as low as they are in the Marvel Universe these days. But overall, I think this might be a movie pointing DC in the right direction for their next few movies in the franchise.
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)
How to destroy a legend
The series was arguably the most well-written and performed series I can remember. I wasn't having too high expectations on this movie, I mean, the main character surely wouldn't come back from the dead? Though, I was hoping for some plot twist along the way. Unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the most meaningless and dull movie experiences for me, ever. I honestly do not see the point why this was made.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
This is the real restart to the saga
In hindsight, this feels more like the actual reboot for the new generation in Star Wars. Where The Force Awakes is more a memory jolt and new template for how this reboot should look and feel, The Last Jedi starts building the new characters and maybe a different interpretation on what The Force really is?
The new story is surprisingly intriguing, with a few twists along the road. The timeline is maybe a bit disjointed at times, with a handful of odd mixes of slow and fast paced story progression. I have a feeling the first third of the movie was cut down a lot, amongst other things, to get it below 2½ hours. This isn't a new problem with Star Wars, though, not even a unique problem for the gengre. Sci-fi sagas tends to treat time and space like it doesn't exist, so it didn't really bother me.
With the unmasking of Kylo Ren's character early on in the movie, I think, the chemistry between the new generation of characters is evolving really well.
Also, don't believe the negative hype places like IMDB gets swarmed with these days. Personally, I think this is one of the most enjoyable films of the year.
Sex Tape (2014)
Why?
This has got to be one of the worst movies ever. None of the actors seemed to be the least interested in being associated with it, at all. I had to give up after 20-ish minutes, so, don't worry about me spoiling the end because I'll never be watching that part.
Apparently I have to write ten lines about this misery to be allowed to publish. So.....
More things to hate about this film? The completely unhindered product placements, with spoken marketing for the products in the film by the actors? That's probably one of the reason they didn't want to be in it at all.
Ten lines yet? I think I spent more time writing this than Cameron Diaz did preparing for the film. Almost two minutes.