I enjoy this series. It's not like the original movies were the best acting in the world. If you rewatch Return of the Jedi, there are some really cheesy bits of acting and obviously the level of CGI and props wasn't on par with today's technology. What's amusing to me is these are adult fanboys or fangirls whining about how crappy these new shows when it's obvious the shows are made with 10 year old kids in mind. Ummm get over yourselves, middle-aged adults complaining about Disney+ kids programming and cringing at shelling out money for it reeks of immaturity.
Reviews
6 Reviews
The Tomorrow War
(2021)
Terrible script
2 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The daughter becomes a scientist / soldier in the future and brings dad into future to help make a toxin to stop the future war plot twist sounds cool but the actual film is a jumbled mess.
There are some passable video game style CGI action scenes of aliens but that alone cannot save this movie from its terrible script.
It felt like the writers tossed a bunch of better movie scripts into a blender, borrowing shamelessly from Aliens, Starship Troopers, Edge of Tomorrow, and even Jurassic World.
Even the adult daughter seems inspired by Emily Blunt's character in Edge of Tomorrow.
Nothing felt original in this story.
The leads try to make the crappy script work but it just lacked the fun factor. At least the movies that it copies from were fun!
There are some passable video game style CGI action scenes of aliens but that alone cannot save this movie from its terrible script.
It felt like the writers tossed a bunch of better movie scripts into a blender, borrowing shamelessly from Aliens, Starship Troopers, Edge of Tomorrow, and even Jurassic World.
Even the adult daughter seems inspired by Emily Blunt's character in Edge of Tomorrow.
Nothing felt original in this story.
The leads try to make the crappy script work but it just lacked the fun factor. At least the movies that it copies from were fun!
F9: The Fast Saga
(2021)
Big, Dumb, Loud, Cash Grab for Universal
30 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This movie was definitely a CASH grab for Universal Studios. The Fast & Furious franchise should've ended after Paul Walker died but now they're just milking it for more money
F9 felt like a big, dumb, loud soap opera. The story twists are just worn out tropes taken from old daytime soap opera scripts. Brothers separated by a family tragedy turn up on opposing sides of the law. A dead character shows up alive years later.
Probably the most ridiculous part of the movie is when they strapped those rockets to a Pontiac Fiero, sending it into space where they smash into a satellite. Of course, the two characters miraculously survive and get rescued by the international space station!
That whole rocket car space scene is even dumber than Fate of the Furious when Dom's car careens off the Russian Nuclear Submarine before the sub exploded and Dom somehow survived the blast..
At least the actors are collecting their big paydays and residual checks so that's good for them but the audiences are the ones paying for this nonsense.
Mostly Corny and Cheesy performances all around. At least the stunt ladies in the movie got plenty more action scenes and screen time.
Han shows up alive again but explaining how he survived the car exploding in Tokyo Drift is too convoluted. Something about Gisele, Tokyo and Mr. Nobody hiring Han to steal a device and he ends up saving a little girl who is the daughter of the dead scientists that made the device. Then Mr. Nobody faked Han's death so he can disappear and apparently spend several years secretly training the little girl to become a badass fighter / ninja assassin?
So basically, they retconned Han's death in Tokyo Drift, brought back 3 other characters from that movie to add more cartoony comic relief, while adding a new younger kick-ass Asian Female with ninja assassin fighting skills.
It all sets up a potential spinoff movie for Han and the Asian girl along with the 3 comic relief car guys. But are audiences really gonna want to see that?
Spoiler! Jason Statham also shows up in an end credits scene. Guessing he'll be back in F10 and/or F11?
They even hinted at Brian returning at the end when his car is shown pulling up to the house that's being rebuilt after it got blown up in a previous movie.
F9 felt like a big, dumb, loud soap opera. The story twists are just worn out tropes taken from old daytime soap opera scripts. Brothers separated by a family tragedy turn up on opposing sides of the law. A dead character shows up alive years later.
Probably the most ridiculous part of the movie is when they strapped those rockets to a Pontiac Fiero, sending it into space where they smash into a satellite. Of course, the two characters miraculously survive and get rescued by the international space station!
That whole rocket car space scene is even dumber than Fate of the Furious when Dom's car careens off the Russian Nuclear Submarine before the sub exploded and Dom somehow survived the blast..
At least the actors are collecting their big paydays and residual checks so that's good for them but the audiences are the ones paying for this nonsense.
Mostly Corny and Cheesy performances all around. At least the stunt ladies in the movie got plenty more action scenes and screen time.
Han shows up alive again but explaining how he survived the car exploding in Tokyo Drift is too convoluted. Something about Gisele, Tokyo and Mr. Nobody hiring Han to steal a device and he ends up saving a little girl who is the daughter of the dead scientists that made the device. Then Mr. Nobody faked Han's death so he can disappear and apparently spend several years secretly training the little girl to become a badass fighter / ninja assassin?
So basically, they retconned Han's death in Tokyo Drift, brought back 3 other characters from that movie to add more cartoony comic relief, while adding a new younger kick-ass Asian Female with ninja assassin fighting skills.
It all sets up a potential spinoff movie for Han and the Asian girl along with the 3 comic relief car guys. But are audiences really gonna want to see that?
Spoiler! Jason Statham also shows up in an end credits scene. Guessing he'll be back in F10 and/or F11?
They even hinted at Brian returning at the end when his car is shown pulling up to the house that's being rebuilt after it got blown up in a previous movie.
Anna
(II) (2019)
Wannabe Wick with a Russian Doll Blonde
13 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Movie is watchable. Good Cinematography. Picturesque locations. And a recognizable talented supporting cast.
Action choreography for the big restaurant fight scene was on par with some of Luc's other movies.
The Biggest Problem is the story seems like a rehash of La Femme Nikita but with a Russian Blonde model assassin as protagonist.
It feels like the director and producers were trying to create a mashup of Atomic Blonde, Red Sparrow and John Wick. But this movie is not as much fun as the John Wick movies - and the lead actress here lacks the charisma of a Charlize Theron or Jennifer Lawrence.
As for the supporting cast, it must have been a paycheck gig for Mirren, Murphy and Evans. All of whom are barely in the movie as they probably only worked a few days each for the few scenes they're in.
There's also a lesbian relationship tossed into the mix as another model, Maude falls in love with Anna who is bisexual (she's banging the Luke Evans and Cillian Murphy spy characters).
However, none of Anna's relationships has any weight to them. It all feels forced, boring, shallow and not emotionally engaging. We barely get to know anything about Maude so her relationship with Anna seems like plot contrivances.
I think the whole thing would've been a lot more fun if they had just amped the humor.
I think the movie wanted to have a Red or Red 2 graphic novel comic dark humor sensibility but falls short.
On top of that there are major technical errors. Laptops like the one she used didn't exist around 1985-1990. Also cellphone being used and the surveillance cameras were way too modern in terms of quality for that era.
Overall this felt like the director was parodying his previous films and trying to recapture his 1990s prime years.
It's surprising that financiers gave Besson multimillions to workout his director's midlife career crisis with this forgettable mess.
Kind of reminiscent of how another big name 1990s Director John Woo tried to recapture his prime with the forgettable Manhunt.
Meh sums it for me as I was watching this movie. The action fight and shootouts were bland. The sex scenes short and forgettable.
There were some twists that seemed rather pedestrian as Anna double crosses the spy handlers.
But since the characters were forgettable, I found I didn't really care about them. Nothing stood out to me about them.
At least Red and Red 2 or even the Kingsman movies were funny and had memorable action sequences. This movie had none of that.
Action choreography for the big restaurant fight scene was on par with some of Luc's other movies.
The Biggest Problem is the story seems like a rehash of La Femme Nikita but with a Russian Blonde model assassin as protagonist.
It feels like the director and producers were trying to create a mashup of Atomic Blonde, Red Sparrow and John Wick. But this movie is not as much fun as the John Wick movies - and the lead actress here lacks the charisma of a Charlize Theron or Jennifer Lawrence.
As for the supporting cast, it must have been a paycheck gig for Mirren, Murphy and Evans. All of whom are barely in the movie as they probably only worked a few days each for the few scenes they're in.
There's also a lesbian relationship tossed into the mix as another model, Maude falls in love with Anna who is bisexual (she's banging the Luke Evans and Cillian Murphy spy characters).
However, none of Anna's relationships has any weight to them. It all feels forced, boring, shallow and not emotionally engaging. We barely get to know anything about Maude so her relationship with Anna seems like plot contrivances.
I think the whole thing would've been a lot more fun if they had just amped the humor.
I think the movie wanted to have a Red or Red 2 graphic novel comic dark humor sensibility but falls short.
On top of that there are major technical errors. Laptops like the one she used didn't exist around 1985-1990. Also cellphone being used and the surveillance cameras were way too modern in terms of quality for that era.
Overall this felt like the director was parodying his previous films and trying to recapture his 1990s prime years.
It's surprising that financiers gave Besson multimillions to workout his director's midlife career crisis with this forgettable mess.
Kind of reminiscent of how another big name 1990s Director John Woo tried to recapture his prime with the forgettable Manhunt.
Meh sums it for me as I was watching this movie. The action fight and shootouts were bland. The sex scenes short and forgettable.
There were some twists that seemed rather pedestrian as Anna double crosses the spy handlers.
But since the characters were forgettable, I found I didn't really care about them. Nothing stood out to me about them.
At least Red and Red 2 or even the Kingsman movies were funny and had memorable action sequences. This movie had none of that.
Utopia
(2020)
Binged it all last night
26 September 2020
Warning: Spoilers
It's bingeable if you're into dark humor and violence. I couldn't stop watching it.
John Cusack's character sums up my feelings about the series with this line of dialogue in the finale: "People think that humans are driven by the search for happiness, meaning. That's not true. People are driven by the need to know what happens next."
Now I'm not a big fan of Gone Girl but Gillian Flynn brings plenty of dark humor and unexpected bloody violence to this remake of the British drama.
I've only watched a few clips and trailers for the British version and I cannot say I enjoyed them anymore than the American verison.
Overall, the first episode was my favorite. Loved the Fringe Con scenes, the fanboy gags and the two wacky assassins seemed like a twisted spin on The Umbrella Academy assassin characters.
I was bummed that the actress from Happy Death Day was killed off after only a couple of episodes. She was shaping up to be the lead heroine but I guess in the showrunners twisted vision they're not gonna give us that easily predictable storyline.
Fans of Cusack's dark humored comedies like The Ice Harvest will find this series has a lot of winks and nods to that movie and many other of his past characters.
The series has a very cynical sarcastic tone but I enjoyed that. I guess some viewers were excepting more drama and seriousness?
Worth binging in my opinion. If you liked Gone Girl or Tarantino movies with their dark violent bloody drama / comedy you'll enjoy this series.
John Cusack's character sums up my feelings about the series with this line of dialogue in the finale: "People think that humans are driven by the search for happiness, meaning. That's not true. People are driven by the need to know what happens next."
Now I'm not a big fan of Gone Girl but Gillian Flynn brings plenty of dark humor and unexpected bloody violence to this remake of the British drama.
I've only watched a few clips and trailers for the British version and I cannot say I enjoyed them anymore than the American verison.
Overall, the first episode was my favorite. Loved the Fringe Con scenes, the fanboy gags and the two wacky assassins seemed like a twisted spin on The Umbrella Academy assassin characters.
I was bummed that the actress from Happy Death Day was killed off after only a couple of episodes. She was shaping up to be the lead heroine but I guess in the showrunners twisted vision they're not gonna give us that easily predictable storyline.
Fans of Cusack's dark humored comedies like The Ice Harvest will find this series has a lot of winks and nods to that movie and many other of his past characters.
The series has a very cynical sarcastic tone but I enjoyed that. I guess some viewers were excepting more drama and seriousness?
Worth binging in my opinion. If you liked Gone Girl or Tarantino movies with their dark violent bloody drama / comedy you'll enjoy this series.
LX 2048
(2020)
Last 30 minutes was more fun than the first hour
26 September 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The movie has elements of the dystopian novel Brave New World, but instead of taking Soma in this futuristic drugged up society everyone takes Lithium X and spends their days interacting in a VR world called the "Realm" where we meet Adam Bird played by James D'Arcy (he was Jarvis the driver for Howard Stark in Avengers End Game) who is living a depressing life working for a VR company in a toxic world where nobody goes outside in the daytime unless they wanted to get fried by the deadly sun.
Adam seems disconnected from his wife and three boys who spend all their time in the VR Realm.
To ease his loneliness, Adam falls in love with his Avatar Lover Maria, who he gets off banging thru use of a sex doll linked to the VR Realm.
The setup takes up the whole first hour which is a slow boring talkfest. I personally like my sci-fi dystopian movies to quickly drop us into its world with stark visuals ala Blade Runner.
However, due to its low budget constraints this film relied heavily of dialogue as we are introduced to Adam's therapist and his doctor, who informs him he's dying from a heart problem.
Later we find out about "the father of human cloning," Delroy Lindo's Donald Stein who Adam tries to contact leading to Stein coming to find Adam.
Lindo as Stein brings energy to the story, helping to pick up its pace as the twists and turns begin to unfurl in the final half-hour.
The idea and concept for this movie intrigued me but I expected more from it than the dull first hour.
However once it got going the last 30 minutes was somewhat fun and entertaining with several clones, a mildly funny unexpected death, a VR assassination, and a soliloquy from Shakespeare's Hamlet.
As low budget movies go you could do worse. For what it's worth, it's mildly entertaining and visually okay to look at but never fleshes out its Dystopian Future to a degree that I would say this is a must watch.
Adam seems disconnected from his wife and three boys who spend all their time in the VR Realm.
To ease his loneliness, Adam falls in love with his Avatar Lover Maria, who he gets off banging thru use of a sex doll linked to the VR Realm.
The setup takes up the whole first hour which is a slow boring talkfest. I personally like my sci-fi dystopian movies to quickly drop us into its world with stark visuals ala Blade Runner.
However, due to its low budget constraints this film relied heavily of dialogue as we are introduced to Adam's therapist and his doctor, who informs him he's dying from a heart problem.
Later we find out about "the father of human cloning," Delroy Lindo's Donald Stein who Adam tries to contact leading to Stein coming to find Adam.
Lindo as Stein brings energy to the story, helping to pick up its pace as the twists and turns begin to unfurl in the final half-hour.
The idea and concept for this movie intrigued me but I expected more from it than the dull first hour.
However once it got going the last 30 minutes was somewhat fun and entertaining with several clones, a mildly funny unexpected death, a VR assassination, and a soliloquy from Shakespeare's Hamlet.
As low budget movies go you could do worse. For what it's worth, it's mildly entertaining and visually okay to look at but never fleshes out its Dystopian Future to a degree that I would say this is a must watch.
Tell Your Friends