CameronWalker01 Reviews

The Outpost (2019)

Hits more like poorly made propaganda film than Hollywood blockbuster

[3/10 · 14 January 2023]

After watching this movie I half suspect this is a propaganda film funded or produced by the US army. Quality wise it's on par with a couple of others I've seen and the amateur production values don't do anything to deter this impression.

Firstly there's almost zero story or characterisation in this film. All the characters are shallow one dimensional husks who are as lifeless and devoid of emotion as the script. The script fails to humanise the characters, while the audio is poorly mixed and dialogue often sounds muddy and near indecipherable.

The camera work is no better as there's very few instances where its not shaking or moving about. Ever heard of a tripod? It's even worse during the battle scenes, and while yes I realise shaky cam is a technique used, it's not really a technique that's utilised here because the whole movie practically has shaky cam to one degree or another. On top of that the cinematography is poorly executed, often with unnecessary close ups or odd angles being chosen. There's a number of instances where things that shouldn't be out of focus are. Again, this can be an effective technique, but the poor camerawork elsewhere lends me to believe it's just crappy filming.

It looks gritty and authentic, which is almost all the movie has going for it. Aside from some entertainment from the longer battle scenes. Those in the first half of the movie are very brief and devoid of any emotion or intensity. Showing a gun battle just from long distance doesn't draw the viewer in or present a sense of danger.

In all it was a poor quality production, which led to a poor quality film.

Daybreak: Post Mates (2019) Season 1, Episode 8

Sam is too good for Josh

[6/10 · 18 July 2021]

I find it incredible that people are blaming Sam for Josh's poor behaviour. But then I probably shouldn't be, it just shows you that misogyny is rampant still within our society. Sam's only crime is being put off by his declaration of love when she's only known him for a short time. Did people miss the part where his entire attitude towards her changes as soon as he finds out she's not a virgin? He went from awkwardly, but enthusiastically wanting to be with her, to being stand offish after he knew it wasn't her first time. She rightly asserts herself and puts him in his place, maybe a bit harshly, but she was 100% right. His behaviour at the end of the episode just confirms that yes he really did have an issue with her not being this "pure" virginal type. And blaming her for something that resulted from his decision just shows you what kind of guy he is.

Avalon (2001)

Low budget psuedo-artistic garbage

[2/10 · 6 June 2019]

I felt compelled to review this film after watching it and seeing all of the rave reviews calling it a brilliant film and a masterpiece. It's not. The sepia colour scheme and use of blurred images makes for some interesting visuals at times and there are some beautiful shots in the film, but for the most part this effect is annoying and tiresome. The film is blessed with a great soundtrack, but its literally the only thing it has going for it. The plot is virtually non-existent with what little story there is being generic and nothing we haven't seen a thousand times before. This combined with the mediocre script leaves us knowing almost nothing about the world the game exists in, the characters and their motivations, and the game itself. From what I can gather the virtual reality game Avalon is a futuristic military RPG of some sort where teams take on Dungeons and Dragons like character roles and complete missions so they can....?

The plot centers around a woman named Ash who's apparently a really great player (although we never see any evidence of this) trying to find a character called the ghost who will lead her to a macguffin which includes Murphy (Her friend, partner?) The movie fails to specify why she would want to find the ghost and who Murphy is and what he means to her. This is just one example of a lazy, poorly written script that's full of plot holes. We're subjected to a few flashback scenes of dubious significance and poorly shot "action" sequences that are as lackluster as they are brief, along with a few odd scenes that add nothing to the story and don't seem to have any connection with the rest of the film or the plot.

If you want to see a great film about virtual reality I would recommend avoiding this at all costs.

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

Potentially great film that fails to hit the mark

[7/10 · 27 November 2017]

When I learnt that this film was a companion movie to Flags of our fathers and was told from the perspective of the Japanese I was intrigued and set out to watch it as soon as possible. From the get go the film ticked all the boxes, great direction, cast, acting, script, soundtrack and beautiful cinematography. But as the movie progressed something struck me as being wrong with it and the feeling grew and became apparent as it went.

The battle of Iwo Jima saw some of the most savage, intense combat of the pacific theatre which saw the Americans hard pressed to capture the beach and turn the tide of the battle to their favour. Clint Eastwood for whatever reason decided to make it look like a relatively easy feat and a battle in which the American military steam rolled the Japanese army. The battle scenes and depiction of the battle were a huge let down, considering I had only just finished watching The Pacific the day before which did a brilliant job of portraying the brutality and intensity of the fighting.

The basis of the film is to tell the story of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese and it does just that, but the problem is its an Americanised Hollywood version of the Japanese perspective, which leaves it feeling somewhat lacking and unrealistic. For example the die-hard Japanese loyalists who want to fight to the death are portrayed as being the bad guys of sorts and are sadistic bullies. While those who're more rational, have lost the will to fight and want to surrender are given the good guy angle. It seems Clint Eastwood just couldn't provide an accurate perspective without it being tainted by an American ego driven point of view or ditch the Hollywood "good guy" vs "bad guy" routine. While I was watching it I couldn't help but cringe or groan in some parts and find myself wishing a Japanese director who been placed in charge.

For its flaws it was still a good movie, but it had the potential to be an excellent film (a 9/10), but for what it is it stands at a solid 7.

Bandidas (2006)

This had potential

[3/10 · 19 April 2011]

When I saw this movie in the video store I decided to hire it on a whim expecting a rough and tough western with plenty of action. I was sorely disappointed when I got it home and watched it. The first forty five minutes were extremely boring and drawn out. It could of had said events pass comfortably in a lean half hour without dragging itself out. The action scenes are few and far between and really leave something to be desired. Even a few times when I was expecting a gunfight it ended up fizzing and nothing happened.

The acting in this movie is as mediocre as the action and is only topped by the extremely poor script. The movie really has no saving grace except for the one scene where we're treated to our leading ladies scantly clad as can can girls in what's a very sexy scene.

If this movie had been shot in a style akin to the comic cinema style seen in 300, Bitch Slap and Sin City and incorporated a fair amount of T n' A from Salma and Penelop Cruz as well as more frequent, longer and violent fight scenes it would of in my opinion been vastly improved. Overall I give this movie a 3/10......It could of been a 7.

((This is my first review so please be gentle, lol :P)