anynameoriginal Reviews

Stop and Go (II) (2021)

Old Pros at humor pays off... Great leading ladies.

[10/10 · 5 December 2023]

Studio C / JK Studios is one of the funniest productions companies that showcase a somewhat unique flavor of humor. For the most part they don't go all out trash humor, and keep most the jokes above the beltline. This film had a few jokes a little darker than what one was used to from the gang. I don't believe this movie was part of either (JK or Studio C), but obviously they let the leads keep their humor style that I have grown to love the past 6 years that I have known them.

The two leading ladies are a great match, and have been refining their humor timing for a decade or more. Some of the best delivery in the business and though this film lacked tons of action, it made the difference up in just constant witty dialog. I liked it even better the second viewing. I look forward to their next film "Go West" where I hope the same formula is applied only with more original members from Studio C / JK Studios.

The Making of a Lady (2012 TV Movie)

Different and delightfully intriguing

[9/10 · 15 May 2023]

I love a sweet love story, rags to riches is great if done right. This movie had the making of being a generic cookie cutter romance but surprise the plot twists... In some parts it is predictable, some sweet ("Love comes Softly" almost), then sweetness gets a slap in the face. The main character's gullibility has you wanting to slap her to set her straight...

Yes, the movie is not paced perfectly, they lost a great opportunity to show the uppity aunt getting rightfully set in place because I guess TV time limitations (wish they released a director's cut). But a Hallmark movie this is not, it has a plot and a cunning cruel twist that is not often portrayed as capable of being evil (Bollywood would cringe at this movie). It was refreshing to see a new breed of boogieman once in a while, and this film noted the charm/cunning can bite like an adder.

Worked for me 9/10 for originality that overcomes the flaws of pacing.

Take One False Step (1949)

Two great actors and somewhat decent story

[7/10 · 18 January 2023]

Have always enjoyed William Powell but only have caught Ms. Winters in a couple of movies when she was a scarlet. She has a confident air about her that carried on even in her later career. William excretes refined class that marks all his acting career and this is no exception. This role did not show him as the professional slueth that make no mistakes, heck, I don't think he even won a fight, but that makes the movie believable. He is a professor doing his best gumshoeing when the chips are down. The movie builds a few characters up that really lead to nowhere, not sure why, like they were filling the time slot to finish the movie and it drags in places.

I could watch Powell sleep and not be bored, but Ms. Winters shined in her parts and sorta overshadowed Powell in their scenes. The movie was pretty straight forward plot wise and could of used a few more twists because the main twist really wasn't unexpected.

Not a waste of your time to watch, but also not one William's stronger roles. Rating 6.5 just on the performances of the two leads.

A Tale of Two Guns (2022)

Slightly More Intellectual dialog made it enjoyable.

[8/10 · 9 January 2023]

B+ movie, I didn't find the audio that annoying as other reviewers did.. What I did find was an enjoyable script and decent acting. A good hunt them down movie that took it's sweet time between action scene, but I didn't mind because the dialog was just so refreshing to listen to. Good simple folks, Bad guys with friends that you would play poker with.

Was the costume/wardrobe the greatest, no, but not horrible by any stretch of the imagination... Was the scenery spectacular...no...in fact not bad actually, yeah some of the buildings looked a little too new, but all in all, not bad.

Just a Western with a different slant than most today's movies take, and it made for an enjoyable view. If not for a few curse words and graphic blood scenes, this could be mistaken for a somewhat family friendly movie, since today's movies curse every other word. 8/10 (High rating for me).

Blue Bloods (2010–2024)

It could be so much better if they allowed me to write the lunacy that is NYC today

[7/10 · 4 July 2022]

Wife loves this show, I tolerate it because little else today on TV at least shows some right leaning positions. I like Tom (the lead) for the most part, but even he grates on me (positions he takes), but at least they know not to mess with him (he leaves the show falls apart). The old ex-commissioner is pretty fun. Danny is a hot head that makes you yell at the screen at times, but he usually gets the top cases (ok, get him a girlfriend already, that is not nuts). Erin usually makes me want to chock her with her leftist leanings (at least her daughter was finally wrote out of the show). Liked the long lost son bits (Joe Jr). Jamie Reagan and his new wife are tolerable to watch. The PC crapola is underplayed because they truly can castrate the left in how they handle crime in NY. The DAs there work for the criminals and the crime rates prove what they are doing is a joke. Let me write a few scripts and some heads would explode.

Murder at Yellowstone City (2022)

A nice cookie, with a few clumps of poo in it.

[7/10 · 27 June 2022]

At first it seemed slow, but it picks up about half way through it... not sure why Hollyweird had to chuck in the gay bit and mess up a half decent slow burn mystery. I liked that the movie was not presenting a fake Western narrative, this seemed more real than 99% of shoot-em-ups and I liked that. A decent cookie, with just a few clumps of manufactured bowl movement to satisfy the left.

The Tourist (2022–2024)

Could of been decent, needed writers that could use words bigger than 4 letters.

[5/10 · 9 February 2022]

F this F that is half the dialog, it seems almost a contest to dim the wits of the viewer. Not just one character, every character except the police lady had nothing to say without punching below the beltline. Why?

The lead character has the personality of cardboard soaked in vinegar. You found yourself not caring for him and not caring if he just died in all his bile. The police lady at least had a sad backstory, but you didn't really care for her other than she at least seemed human. Kinda like the lady in Fargo you rooted for her and hoped she would smarten up and fast, the naivety got old.

1883 (2021–2022)

Potential then it is Hollywooded up with crapola

[6/10 · 8 February 2022]

In a time when a good Western was needed, I had high hopes for this series. I see right off the bat they are going to present a secular set and then go further out from reality by making sure to spew it's secularism in your face. Sorry, but most settlers were decent God-fearing and not in the way this portrays them (The sister who lost her daughter was bitter and condescending, why does Hollywood always do this?). Why protray the members of the wagon train as ignorant to most the common sense scenarios of heading West. They would not be as stupid as presented.

Little things like Sam Elliot holding up an oak leaf and saying it was poison oak/ivy makes one shake their head. The narration (from the blond girl) is such gibberish it makes you shake your head. Really, it makes no sense whatsoever, why bother to put it in.

Decisions with a tornado coming makes one scratch their head. What do you do, you survey the path the tornado is taking and go perpendicular, and on the plains you can see the path a long way off. Just a lot of bone head decisions... Another one that bugged me was the crossing of the rivers, they show having to swim, but other shots the water is barely calf high. Ugg.

Just Short of Perfect (2021)

Horrible remake of a great movie from 2016...

[3/10 · 9 December 2021]

What you really want to watch that has all the charm this movie doesn't (and this movie just manages to copy and mess up the whole vibe) is called."UP FOR LOVE"... Trust me, you will absolutely adore the French original that is in English (at least the version I watched) instead of this. The movie (Up for Love) that shows a perfect gentleman/father with class. I get so tired of movies protraying men in a negative light, but "Up for Love" just hits on all cylinders.

Ragnarok (2020–2023)

Good Story, well acted, good plot, beautiful scenery....but woke to the point of sickening.

[5/10 · 6 March 2021]

I like the premise, like a superman story, the heart of the story is the innocent discovery of power via a shy socially awkward kid. Well played for the most part, and the music (though regional popular to Norway) worked in places (and not in others). The baddies are human in their inhuman ways and you enjoy disliking them, but I disliked them not for the reasons the ultra liberal producers wanted me to, they were evil, not because of faked environmental issues they painted to make them look bad. Seems everything now day must pass a bar in wokeness or either it is dismissed as unfit to be force fed to the public. The appeal of being "super" rings intriguing to the young viewers (seems every other movie now days tries to out super the other films), but part of the charm of this series was how it at first wasn't so overwhelming with powers to the point of being unbelievable farfetched. Of course with time the series progressed the strength of the main character (and the baddies), but at least for a bit it was worth watching.

I would give this show high marks (at least through the first few episodes) if they had resisted the temptation to make it so political that it sucked. Lets see, the evil women were just as strong as the men if not stronger (give me a break). Make them more cunning or something, but not stronger for goodness sake.. The lead character is given a mental slowness but is not portrayed as dumb but exceptionally slow to upgrasp that his superiors at the school do not have his best interests at heart (yes, I like an intelligent lead and that he also has a Greta environmental mindset without questioning it).

I want a superhero show like this with a Ben Shapiro leading man cast.

School's Out Forever (2021)

England is gone if they act according to their woke SHTF movies...

[4/10 · 16 February 2021]

Cringe worthy is all I can think when viewing movies like this. The stupid, it hurts. The ending probable hurt more than anything. If the lead "baddie" had half a hair of leadership (listened to her military advisor before he went loco too), the "siege" would lasted about 4 minutes. The movie does not go into detail about the virus, but lets just say if it spread with any effectiveness, there wouldn't of been a non-contaminated person in any capacity. Funny the movie makes comments against ownership of guns, but sure highlights two of the needs for them (self preservation, defense against a corrupt government). The concept of using the hostage as an ace in the hole totally got bypassed, as did the concept on being on the same page leadership wise. Give me an intelligent lead instead of someone that flips back and forth between the moral dilemmas in the heat of the battle (and on the other hand, someone that goes total salvage without thinking about their actions).

I would give this a 5.5/10 (it is entertaining), but that ending ruined any momentum. But don't worry, our hero is going to walk to the coast with a backpack (and make it about 2 miles in my estimations).

The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)

Probable the best comedy ever made (big budget wasn't needed)

[10/10 · 14 February 2021]

Heart, humor, more humor, awkward situations without being raunchy, sweetness, wholesome, nerdy in a good way, corky, bending perspectives, John Wayne with heart/brains. More humor to the point of crying laughing. Love story set in a Banana republic that somehow works.

Do yourself a favor, give the movie more than 5 minutes. It takes a while to set things in motion, once in motion you are hooked.

My fave comedy that I wish more folks had a chance to fall in love with it as I have.

Angela's Christmas Wish (2020)

Actually held the attention of two little girls that are not easy to entertain.

[8/10 · 18 December 2020]

Wife left me in charge of the girls we babysit on occasion (not something I relish) and I was left in position of entertainment for an hour. Strict is the guideline of what is allowed for viewership (no mindless junk). This popped up on the Netflix channel and looked innocent enough, even had a very light Christian message that was appreciated. But lets just admit it, not many Christian movies are memorable to say the least, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well this movie progressed and commanded their attentiveness, I even liked it (and I mostly like Old War movies).

In a word or two, it was "sweet" and "innocent".

Free Lunch Express (2020)

Yes and No... are you news junkie? Then maybe this is for you.

[7/10 · 10 December 2020]

One of those political comedies that appeals to political bugs like myself. For a low budget production, it actually had some fair acting (Bernie middle aged for example). Some scenes were ginned up but all seemed to be based on actual crazy that we know is Bernie... Yes he honeymooned in Moscow. Yes his commune days were numbered, yes he never really had a real job except government, yes he had his microphone hi-jacked.

Who will like this? Well you can tell by the other reviews who didn't like this. Don't go into this expecting gut wrenching laughs, but for political bugs the one line in the movie expresses how I describe it.... Truth is stranger than fiction. Like a good Babylon Bee satire, this movie describes the irony most political astute Americans feel with Bernie being in congress.

Other thoughts, movie feels rushed at times, the transition from Mayor to Congress to his run for President just needed more development. Some of the dialog (fictionally recreated) was a over the top, which dilutes the real life irony (basically making it seem unrealistic at times, though based on real life events).. It is a comedy first and foremost, but a humor only a few will appreciate.

Black Narcissus (1947)

Loved the scenery, acting, production filming... But little else

[5/10 · 11 March 2017]

Could of, should of, would of been a classic if they just decided to include some action beyond the final minutes of the predictable anticlimactic ending. Watch it for the reasons listed, but don't expect anyone else to stay awake with you to the end unless they are a movie buff. Wife and I both agree, this was a snoozer that could of been something magnificent. The lead male role was just begging for more content. The little prince love line could of been followed more closely. I hate being one of the few that did not glow over this movie, but scenery alone does not make a movie.