mccabegabe Reviews

1923 (2022–2023)

Gets Better as it goes

[6/10 · 13 December 2023]

This had a rough first episode. First, cowboys sitting in board meetings and town halls talking about sheep and cow grazing rights. Pretty boring.

Then when there was drama and conflict, it didn't ring entirely true. While I appreciate the coverage of the schools that Natives were forced into and the horrors that were forced upon them because it should not be forgotten history, Taylor Sheridan just kind of throws together scenes of drama and violence for drama and violence sake. It doesn't always track. Eventually though, the characters will pull you in and I'm a sucker for westerns, so by the midway point, I was invested. Do I wish there was more attention to the writing and the plotholes and inconsistencies and historical errors? Yeah. But I'm still entertained at least.

Christmas Vacation (1989)

The Original Silly Christmas Comedy

[9/10 · 20 November 2021]

Okay, it might not be the "original" but I saw this originally as a kid, so to me, it's the original. Lots of quotable moments and worth rewatching each year at Christmas. I think this is the best in the National Lampoon franchise.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)

John Hughes Classic

[7/10 · 20 November 2021]

I only saw this recently for the first time, and I understand the love around it. It features two of comedy's greats and it's penned by John Hughes. I do think it's slow-paced at times, but overall a great buddy comedy.

Krampus (I) (2015)

Funny Mix of Christmas and Monsters

[8/10 · 20 November 2021]

The setup is the classic Christmas scenario: the extended family gathering that everyone dreads. But that's nothing compared to KRAMPUS. Really funny movie. Adam Scott and Toni Collette are hilarious. It reminded me a bit of Gremlins but a bit darker/more adult.

The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)

Charles Dickens Story

[8/10 · 20 November 2021]

How close is this to reality? I don't know, but I loved it. It's a Christmas movie, but at the same time, it's really more about Dickens struggle to get "A Christmas Carol" published. In the genre of "Movies About Famous Writers" (is that genre) this is one of the best in that it doesn't try to tell Dicken's entire life, but it covers an exciting portion of it that makes for a great story. Dickens would approve!

Red Penguins (2019)

Alright - Interesting Topic

[6/10 · 20 November 2021]

The trailer looked crazy-good, but the trailer is packed with all the crazy there is. Spread that out over an hour and a half and it's less exhilarating. That said, it's a pretty interesting look at Russia at the time and how the politics and civil unrest were destabilizing it. I found those parts more interesting than the hockey parts.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)

Like Stranger Things Plus Gore

[7/10 · 17 July 2021]

The first 30 minutes of this movie is really strong. Love the throwback time period and the kids out for a night of mischief. It feels kind of like the Stranger Things TV show. But ultimately, it's a haunted house/haunting story with a series of gory kills, so it didn't live up to my hopes, but if you're in the mood for a classic horror film with teens, it's a good bet.

Get Hard (2015)

Lol

[9/10 · 25 May 2021]

Why did I wait so many years to watch this? I could not stop laughing. Silly, over-the-top, inappropriate comedy at its best.

The Way Back (I) (2020)

Addiction Movie more than Sports Movie

[6/10 · 25 May 2021]

Ben Affleck gives a powerful performance. I did go into it thinking I was watching a basketball movie, but it's really more of a movie about grief, addiction, and healing than it is a sports story.

Pottersville (2017)

Quirky but too slow...

[5/10 · 1 January 2020]

The movie has a great feel to it with cool retro production design. But ultimately, the story is just kind of slow. A guy in a marriage crisis dresses up as a gorilla one night when he gets sloppy drunk and runs around town, causing witnesses to believe they've seen Bigfoot. Every - including a reality TV monster hunter - descend on the small town. But it's really more of a premise than a story that pulls you along. Plus it's quirky with some fun moments, but it's not really LOL funny.

In the Shadow of the Moon (2019)

Something Different - in a good way

[8/10 · 1 January 2020]

The story is very creative. The lead actor - Boyd Holbrook - was new to me but he's very appealing and is believable through the decades that this film spans. It's hard to review without giving anything away, so I'll just say this movie had mystery, intrigue, some action, good character interaction, and a sci fi element to it. Really liked it!

Fire in Paradise (2019)

Well-done, riveting

[8/10 · 28 November 2019]

I watched this short film about the devastating "Camp Fire" in Paradise, CA on Netflix. Some of the footage in this is just amazing. In this day and age with everyone recording things on their cell phones, it amounts to some scary footage of people literally driving through flames as they try to escape to safety. It's terrifying, and it shows exactly how fast a wildfire can get out of control and why we need to enact climate and environmental policies to try to stop this horrible trend in which wildfires are getting worse and worse each year. My heart breaks for the people of Paradise and other people who have had their lives turned upside down by wildfires. This documentary does a good job of painting a picture of that day - how everything went from normal to horrific but in mere minutes.

Under the Silver Lake (2018)

Weird in all the best ways

[8/10 · 28 November 2019]

This movie was weird, and that's largely why I liked it. Because I get sick of the same old, same old films. It's the kind of movie that leaves you with some unanswered questions (or debatable analysis), but if you go back and rewatch it, or just reconsider earlier scenes with a different perspective, it actually makes perfect sense. To say more would spoil it, but you can find plenty of theories and spoilers in other people's reviews, so I'll leave it at that. I also liked the Los Angeles setting. Recognized a lot of iconic locations in the film.

Mom and Dad (2017)

Funny (but dark) horror film with some deeper messages

[7/10 · 1 November 2019]

This movie has both laugh out loud humor AND deeper messages about how difficult it is to be a parent (or conversely a teenager who feels like they want freedom from their parents). Creative directing and editing. Fans of Shaun of the Dead will appreciate this movie. However, I did not love the ending.

The Red Sea Diving Resort (2019)

Important Topic but Movie didn't come together.

[4/10 · 21 October 2019]

I loved the concept of this movie, but somehow the opening sequence managed to make a life or death escape feel like it had low stakes and predictable moments. The topic is important and the story is inspiring, but the film itself wasn't as intense and moving as it could have been.

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Masterpiece!

[10/10 · 9 February 2019]

It's a masterpiece, plain and simple. A wonderful ride and inside look into Queen and Freddie Mercury. The recreation of the live shows are brilliant. Laughed and might-of sort-of even teared up. Need to see again asap.

Icarus (2017)

Filmmaker lucked into a good documentary

[6/10 · 9 February 2019]

The first 45 minutes of this documentary is slow and disjointed. I'm not even sure that the filmmaker knew his full objective when he set out to make it. Basically, he wanted to dope himself with testosterone, etc. for what purpose? I think he wanted to prove that it would improve his cycling performance in the amateur circuit. Possibly he wanted to show how a person can beat the doping tests, but this is more implied than stated. It seemed like a vague exploration more than anything.

However, in the course of making this documentary, the entire lid is blown off Russia's state-sponsored doping of professional/Olympic athletes. The filmmaker is already in the process of working with the director of the drug testing lab from Russia on this documentary. The direction of the documentary quickly change course when the truth behind the Russian cheating comes out and a massive investigation is launched by various world athletic governing bodies and the FBI, putting the lab director's life is in danger. The filmmaker gets to be front and center with an inside view on all of this, and that's what makes this documentary interesting.

I still think it could have been done better, and I definitely think the filmmaker lucked out that he just happened to be front and center when the first 45 minutes of this documentary are basically a disjointed, boring mess. However, when things take a dramatic twist, the documentary turns into an eye-opening and shocking film as to how HUGE the corruption and cheating is in Russia, so it's definitely worth the watch.

How It Ends (2018)

Not Good

[3/10 · 1 January 2019]

Why Does Netflix keep pouring so much money into big budget movies and then fail to deliver on the basic story level? Post-apocalyptic stories are right up my alley, but this one was just outright frustrating. First, the main character played by Theo James is annoying. He's weak and not weak as in he later grows stronger through the experience. Just basically weak and not all the a bright in the decisions he makes. And then there's the whole WHY IS THERE AN APOCALYPSE RIGHT NOW situation? I won't spoil anything for you, but let me just say that the ending was highly unsatisfying.

Kidnap (I) (2017)

Non-stop thrill ride that has its moments - good and bad

[7/10 · 17 December 2018]

Movie with some real plusses but also several minuses. After Halle Berry's child is kidnapped and she takes off in pursuit, you are left breathless, on the edge of your seat. I found myself questioning what I'd do in this or that scenario. The movie had some thrilling car chases, and some great moments of performance from Berry. However, keep it mind that you will have to suspend disbelief at times, but that's part for the course with thrillers like this.

It gets knocked down from a solid 8 though because Berry's character is constantly narrating the story to us in the form of talking out loud to herself to give us information that we already KNOW from, you know, paying attention to the movie. The dialogue she had when she was alone was unnecessary 90% of the time and every time she did it, it made me laugh and took me out of the story. It's not a constant thing so I still recommend the movie, but it's just enough to make it cheesy at times. But if you're looking for a non-stop thrill ride, this movie will do the trick!

Death at a Funeral (2007)

Absurd in all the best ways

[10/10 · 30 April 2018]

This movie is absurd and that is what makes it so laugh-out-loud funny. There is sibling envy, threatened blackmail, accidental drug ingestion, blackmail, and other crazy family antics. I could not stop laughing out loud at this film. The performances are fantastic by every actor and as things go from bad to worse, it just gets more hilarious. Who knew a funeral could be so freaking funny? (PS. This version is superior to the USA remake of it).

Last Seen in Idaho (2018)

Tense and Suspenseful

[7/10 · 29 April 2018]

I really wasn't sure what to think of this movie going into it. The poster looks like a blow-em-up action movie. I watched the trailer and that conveyed a thriller with a female lead more than an action film with guns a blazing. I was intrigued enough by the premise of a woman having visions of her murder that hasn't happened yet, so I gave it a go. I was pleasantly surprised. The suspense was well done with a few highly tense sequences, namely one of the early scenes when Summer (the heroine) sees a murder, as well as a few later scenes that I won't spoil. The way that early aforementioned scene was directed and shot felt eerie and claustrophobic.

The reason I rank the movie as a 7 and not an 8 or 9 is because there are quite a lot of characters jampacked into this story. This is necessary on one hand because there is a mystery element to the story where you can suspect any character, but at the same time, I wanted to stay focused on the main characters and their relationships to each other, namely those of Summer and Franco (love interest/or maybe the death of her) and that of Summer and Lance (ex-boyfriend). I will say that I was very surprised by the reveal at the end, so in that regard, it succeeded in keeping me engaged and preventing me from figuring things out. A tense, interesting thriller with a great cast.

Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

Somewhat slow ensemble mystery

[6/10 · 31 January 2018]

I think this story would have better been served as a limited mini-series on TV than as a movie. There are SO many characters that need to be developed for both the mystery and for the sake of just developing the characters so we care. But 2 hours isn't a lot of time. If it weren't a cast jam-packed with stars, it would have been even harder to care about them. Because there were sooo many characters, I found myself a bit bored at times. It was just impossible to get to know everyone enough to feel invested in them. That said, the conclusion at the end was quite good - how it all came together and the who/what/why/how of the murder. I hadn't evet read the book, so I didn't know how it would end, and the conclusion did surprise me. If you're looking for a suspense/thriller, this is not that. But if you're looking for a mystery, this does a pretty good job of it.

Sleuth (2007)

More like a play than a movie

[4/10 · 6 June 2015]

I got bored watching this movie. The acting is fantastic by Jude Law and Micheal Caine but it really did feel like watching a play. There was some darkly humorous moments and a few scenes of suspense, but I saw the surprise twist (I won't give anything away) coming from a mile away. If I hadn't seen that, perhaps I would rank it higher. I felt like I kept waiting for this to get better, and the intensity stayed at one level. It was just okay, overall. It seems like a lot of plays have been adapted to movies lately, and for me, most of them to do translate that well to screen. These days, movies move so fast that talking head movies have to have stellar dialogue to make it.

The Midnight Meat Train (2008)

Gross but Pretty Effective

[7/10 · 27 January 2009]

This is definitely a horror film. I watch a lot of thrillers, and usually I like movies that draw out the suspense and don't show everything, but every now and then, I get in the mood for a gross-out like Saw...or like this. If you want a tense, gore-fest, you'll probably like this. If you like a more Hitchcock-style variety of film, you'll probably hate it.

Obviously though, this movie was going for the former, not the latter, so I think it was very effective for the genre. I was 100% creeped out. That's not to say that I didn't occasionally find the composing a little overly dramatic or I didn't occasionally say, "Why are you doing that?" in regards to a character's choices, but movies like this shouldn't be taken serious.

If you want a good scare, I think it's a good option.

Starter for 10 (2006)

Fun Movie

[7/10 · 3 November 2008]

This James McAvoy (who plays Brian in this) seems to be in everything these days, but I'll admit that he's deserving. He's a likable guy that pulls me into the story. There was plenty of humor and dramatic suspense in the form of rooting for Brian in not only the "University Challenge" but in his life.

The one thing I didn't buy was the "romance" between Brian (James McAvoy) and Rebecca. I guess I was supposed to feel some build-up between the two, but I mostly just found her to be okay at best, irritating at times. The irritating won out over "okay" when she got so furious with him one night. I did like that she was a go-getter with passions, but I could've used a little more sparks between them throughout.

Funny competition scenes.