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Reviews
Topi (2021)
Captivating but somewhat disjointed
Somewhat familiar genre tropes help to get through the first few episodes, while the plot gets going. Unfortunately, the further I went into Topi, the more captivating yet confused everything became.
Some of it feels like allusions to Bulgakov, yet the explicit scenes I still found over the top and not adding much to the story.
The ending left most of the storylines hanging, which was sadly quite predictable (or predetermined, if you will).
Don't regret the time spent watching this, mostly due to compelling performances from the cast (Max, Sonya and the police captain, to name a few) and a great setting.
Pandorum (2009)
Ticks almost all the boxes for good science fiction
I feel like I'm undervaluing the film by only giving it a 7. Granted, the story-telling is patchy in places and the horror part seems like it would've been better cut out, but the whole thing is fairly enjoyable. It could've done with a bigger budget, wider scope and focus on character instead of physical mutations. Pandorum is a fairly good horror movie, but you can certainly find better horrors out there. What makes it better is a well-designed core plot and good/great execution with solid acting. Certainly worth the 1.5 hours.
Collateral Beauty (2016)
Another top-rated Will Smith movie in the watch-list
I am not sure how to explain the stark contrast between critic and user reviews for this film. All I know is, it is certainly very good from my viewpoint. It isn't even the storytelling, which is interesting, what with 4 arches throughout the film. Admittedly, some of the arches almost outshone the main one in some parts. The performance from the star-studded cast is (mostly) brilliant. Story development is a bit slow, and still it clocks in under 2 hours. Regardless, if you plan to watch this, an appropriate mood would be more important than the time you have. Another top-rated Will Smith movie in my IMDb history.
The Nice Guys (2016)
American entertainment from a simpler time
A tale from the time, when Detroit was still the American powerhouse. Fairly authentic visual effects and decorations of the 70-s LA. Beautiful cars throughout the film alone might make it worth your while, if you adore vehicles of that era While the premise is nothing new, and some of the details can be seen as a self-parody, it is a good film to watch. Raucous, occasionally dumb, but well shot. And Angourie Rice makes it better still.
Jason Bourne (2016)
Action-movie Bourne - not really a Bourne movie
This is, most certainly, one of the more controversial Bourne films. The question is, whether it is a Bourne film. Lacking the usual thriller, plot development and coherence, it explores things past, but possibly looking to a different future. Unfortunately, the technical side of the film is lacking, with occasional mumbo-jumbo and the infamous "enhance!" tricks. Still, the themes used a fairly contemporary, if only they were presented better. If I were to rate it purely as a Bourne movie, it would score lower. However, scoring it as another installment of an action franchise, which is what it is, brings it to 7. The ending was certainly the better part of the whole film, and Alicia Vikander, while not her best performance, was a fairly interesting character to watch.