duklec Reviews

Nobody (I) (2021)

Cliche family man action flick.

[7/10 · 3 July 2023]

This is one of those films you see coming out about twice a year that basically copies True Lies: a mild mannered family man is secretly a secret agent and decides to go on one last run to make things "right". The movie starts with Odenkirk living the same routine everyday as an accountant. When a couple robs his house, his family is disgusted with his decision to let the robbers go free. That is: his family and EVERYONE ELSE in a hundred mile radius. I mean Jesus give me a break. Anyway, he is content to just move on with his life until he learns his daughter is missing her toy necklace. So he hunts down the couple and robs them, taking back his watch (but no necklace). On his way home, he comes across some drunks harassing a girl, so he beats them to near death. Well, one of those men ends up dying, and it just happens to be the brother of a Russian crime lord. You know, the guy who is the "worst of the worst guys to mess with". So after single handedly wiping out a team of professional mercenaries, he decides to go ahead and wipe out an entire operation.

As I said earlier, it's the same plot as pretty much every action "family man gone crazy"movie. All the twists and turns are recycled from pretty much everything else like True Lies,Taken, John Wick, etc. On the plus side, Odenkirk is an enjoyable actor here. If you aren't jaded like I am, there is a fun action flick here. Just don't expect anything different then most other movies like it. Packed with cliches like the coked up Russian mob boss and the token black friend who makes everything about race (and just so happens to be in the right place at the right time against all logic)

Just a fun popcorn flick. Don't expect too much and you'll be happy with it.

Romper Stomper (1992)

Good look at the duality of people

[8/10 · 15 January 2023]

A movie about a gang of skinheads who terrorize an Asian population and deal with the consequences of their hatred. They are portrayed as people: people who commit horrible acts yet show their own humanity in their spare time. You get the sense they are simply misguided youths who are scared of the change brought about from other races moving into their neighborhood. As a result, you find yourself rooting for them to get their asses kicked for being skinhead scum, yet you can't hate them for it, either. If someone moved into your lifelong neighborhood and started buying up and changing everything you know and love, I imagine you wouldn't be happy either.

The Rescuers (1977)

Fantastic movie

[9/10 · 20 November 2022]

Born in 84, I never saw the Rescuers. I saw the Rescuers Down Under as a kid, but never thought much about it, so up until just now, I never really cared to watch the original. But I have to say I was blown away. The backdrops are stunning, the animation is terrific, the chemistry between the two mice was fantastic, and the music... oh that music. Given Don Bluth's involvement, I have to say this is an absolute classic. I only didn't give it a ten because I feel newer audiences would have a meltdown over some elements that would never make it to a Disney movie today, such as guns, a mouse who remains destroyed on moonshine, and of course the infamous Easter egg that made Disney recall the movie in the 90s. If you're an animation fan, you owe it to yourself to see this.

Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy (2021)

Shameless race baiting propaganda

[5/10 · 14 September 2022]

Basically, it's a political hit piece that twists up facts in an effort to blame white people, particularly Republicans, for crack. Does a pretty good job displaying the harm crack caused in the 80s, yet leaves out facts like where it came from (it was a chemist who worked for the Colombian cartels) in order to push the narrative that it was some kind of plot from Reagan (and all those horrible white people!) to arrest more black people. Many facts and factors are thrown out the window in order to craft its narrative and goes as far as making claims without evidence to push its agenda, which is to blame Republicans for everything even if it makes no sense.

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)

Good performances, but lacks focus

[7/10 · 16 December 2019]

Ever since Reservoir Dogs, I have been a fan of Tarantino. I have to say, Pitt and Leo give some pretty good performances as an actor and stuntman on the tail end of their careers. Love the cinematography. My main complaint revolves around the sudden switches to Polanski's life that seem to come out of nowhere. The movie insists to be focused on the duo, but seemingly at random, the story jumps to Polanski and Tate. It's quite jarring when it happens, and leaves you wondering why the hell you're seeing these scenes. If they were divided more evenly between the two households, it would work as to compare and contrast a star on his way out and a star who just got in the door, but the movie focuses so much on the former that the latter just seems out of place.

Still, it was still quite enjoyable and serves as a bit of a time capsule of an interesting period of American history.

Animation Domination High-Def (2012–2016)

Trashy, unfunny, and unintelligent.

[1/10 · 20 May 2019]

This show is nothing but an attempt by Fox to be relevant to the high school and college crowd. They hired a former Adult Swim employee to produce a handful of animation shorts that really fall flat when it comes to the humor. Being Fox produced, most humor attempts to convey a conservative slant and attempts to villify Obama, as well as anyone Fox doesn't like, whenever possible with half-truths and outright lies. The show advertised itself as a non-cynical and positive alternative to Adult Swim, yet the actual sketches were mostly cynical digs at 90s pop-culture.

As you can guess, the show bombed, and was subsequently pulled from production. If you haven't seen it, you aren't missing much.

Shakedown (1988)

Very fun yet dark action flick

[8/10 · 7 March 2019]

The movie follows Peter Weller who plays an attorney tasked with defending a crack dealer who shot a corrupt police officer in self defense. He goes to his friend in the NYPD, played by Sam Elliot, to unravel a deep web of conspiracy and corruption within the NYPD. In the meantime, Weller is caught in a love triangle between his fiancé and ex-girlfriend.

Weller does a decent job as well as Sam Elliot, but the star of the movie was 1980s New York City. It's decadent and gritty landscape make for some great atmosphere and over-the-top action involving hit men, drug dealers, and one of the most beautiful Porsche 930 Turbos you would ever lay eyes on. Action sequences, when they occur, are thrilling and fun.

Alas, the love-triangle scenes keep the sequences spaced out, so things can seem kind of slow. Those scenes really feel more like padding rather than essential to the plot. Still, it's a movie I enjoy watching time and time again. I know the gentrification of New York by Giuliani in the 90s made it cleaner and safer, but it also stripped the soul of 70s and 80s New York and turned it into a lifeless shell of a city you can find just about anywhere else in the US. It's always nice to see old school NYC encapsulated whenever possible.

All in all, I love this movie. No, it's not the most deep or meaningful movie, and the supporting actors turn out some pretty cheesy moments (like a group of cops circling around Weller and then just walking away), but the dark and gritty atmosphere gives it life and is a fun movie to just sit back and relax to.