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andrewbarbarash
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The Batman (2022)
A paradox... Can something with so much good also be so boring?
I always feel in our ever divisive non nuanced society if something is good it must be a 10 or if it disappoints compared to expectations then it must be a 3 or 4. Both a overly high or low score wouldn't justify judging this movie in my opinion.
I'm a mamouth Batman fan and there is so much good stuff like how they captured Gotham perfectly, gave us tons of originality, the score, some great lines and casting... But unfortunately the over scripting, horrid pacing and laborious length hinders this greatly. They really draw things out over many dialogue heavy scenes just to make one clear point.. it's like the anti Nolan technique where he makes no wasted motion everything serves a purpose thus you are hooked into the stakes and sense of jeapordy. This film dragged and I couldn't wait for it to end which is why I'm torn on it because there is so much good stuff both dialogue and action to enjoy between the monotony and general gloom.. even in a depressing environment you have to diversify your scenary and expression from time to time.
7/10 feels about right to me.
Scream (2022)
Meta satirical fun.
Completely nonsensical escapist fun. Everyone knows they are a Scream movie, and everybody lives up to this dea,l hamming it up whilst still keeping a straight face. Great fun for an evenings entertainment.
Cruella (2021)
Bitingly sharp and stylish
I read a lot of poor to mixed reviews prior but one thing I knew was a guarantee... The two Emma's absolutely killing it in their respective roles as Cruella and the Baroness. They are having so much fun playing these characters, the script is very witty and whimsical.. throw in a dash of trendy 1970's London, and you've got pure sensory magic for the eyes and ears. It was so refreshing to have something targeted intentionally at adults from Disney that isn't drenched in politics. Loved it, and would highly recommend for a rollicking evenings entertainment.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Space Garbage.
*Spoiler Free*
Just saw the new Star Wars... I'm in awe how terrible this film is. No substance or character development, hollow fan service.. no sense of jeapordy, mostly shocking dialogue especially with the ridiculous amount of robotically delivered exposition. Everything moves at such break neck speed it's near important to process or care what is going on. An absolute trainwreck... It's actually one of the best worst movies I've seen in a long time, unintentionally one of the funniest movies in forever.
Say what you want about The Phantom Menace or The Last Jedi they at least tried to tell a story and flesh out characters, they actually felt like movies.. this was a bunch of scenes spliced together.
I need to digest what I just saw because it's like every no no on how to make a movie. I can't believe this version was the final cut.
Star Wars as a 'Movie' franchise is officially dead. At least the Mandalorian rocks.
Drag Me to Hell (2009)
It's so bad it's good.
The title of this movie pretty much sums up the exact storyline, it's crude in your face and doesn't try to be anything else and thats why I enjoyed this film.
Watching from a 'horror' perspective I got to be honest it fails miserably. It has so many glossy Hollywood clichéd 'jump' effects it actually becomes tedious after a while. The acting is as a wooden as a pine tree and the suspense is well... zero.
Thats the negative out the way, as for just a fun (unintentional comedy) action packed roller-coaster ride Drag Me To Hell is a pure riot. If I wasn't laughing I was engrossed in the lunacy of what was going to happen next.
If your looking for a mindless 'horror' flick that MAY make you jump (more in laughter than anything) that doesn't take itself too seriously, I highly recommend it.
7/10... for as bad as it is, it is a guaranteed fun time at the cinema.
Andrew Barbarash
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
The Wolverine is neutered
Going into this movie like everyone else my expectations were huge and rightfully so. Wolverine is hands down the most popular and interesting character of all the X-men and to preserve this reputation the producers had too deliver with no excuses.
After the successes of Batman Begins and the Dark Knight I was praying they would inspire the writers to go along those lines with multi layered personalities, shades of grey when it came to good and evil with a dark overtone of doom throughout.
What we got was the exact opposite, god awful one dimensional acting, glossy Hollywood action sequences and as much depth as a shallow swimming pool.
I've read that this movie despite its wooden acting and script is a 'mindless fun action film', the thing is I didn't find that either. The action sequences were all rather uninspiring, I don't expect too much logic but most of the scenes were nonsensical and forgettable.
If you're a popcorn flick fan and aren't to interested in the comic book history then I guess it is a passable watch at the very best. However even if you're not a comic nerd but you're expecting the same level of X-men 1 or 2 you're going to be left rather disappointed.
My advice wait to rent the DVD or just avoid altogether.
Andrew Barbarash
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)
The power of a child's innocence
Being Jewish and having family that died in the holocaust, these types of movies always touch a nerve with me.
I thought it was a fantastic idea having a movie based around the war through a naive child's eyes. What this film showed to me was how when you remove the political, racial and cultural issues from people there is potential for us all to get along.
The main character played the role of 'innocence' beautifully and his non judgemental eyes just made my heart flutter at the thought that during such barbaric times compassion still lived within humans.
The film maintained fascination throughout, seeing how the effects of what were going on around him effected the rest of his family, which led to the finale. For me it showed the ultimate idea of 'shoe on the other foot'... how in life we can feel OK about handing it out but when taking it back we realise what kind of twisted evil beings one can be.
I highly recommend this movie for any adult, though this film is based around Nazi Germany and the Jews, the ideas behind it can apply to any destructive situation that is going on in the world today.
Overall this is a 10/10, powerful stuff.
Andrew Barbarash
Iron Man (2008)
Ironman comes out of the shadow of the big boys
Wow... just wow what a movie, Robert Downey Jr was beyond awesome both in his comical timing and charm.
The film may of had some incredible special FX but they were totally overshadowed by the quality story that is told and that my friends IS a good thing.
After Marvels recent disappointments this has restored my faith in a good old fashion superhero movie.
The last scene before the credits was so well done and pretty much broke every cliché that is done in your typical superhero film.. it was blunt, funny and very cool.
I can't say enough about Ironman... it truly is one of the best superhero films of all time.
Go see it!!!
Clerks II (2006)
Smith shines when its real
I saw Clerks II and fittingly the cinema was virtually empty meaning I could spread myself out for what I believe to be Kevin Smith's second best film ever after the original Clerks.
Behind the hilariously vulgar humour is a real sensitive story about growing up and what direction we should lead our lives, the debate between the way we feel or the way we are meant to be. The on screen chemistry was incredible like the first and once again Randall just steals the show with his blunt outlook on life. Mooby's couldn't of been a more fitting venue as it helped emphasis the jokes and dead end lifestyle these guys live.
Some people have argued that the ending is too sappy but I know I was tingling. For me personally it was an absolutely fitting ending to one of if not the greatest cult movie all of time.
I just loved this film laughing my a** off throughout the whole thing, major thumbs up!!!
Andrew Barbarash
The Marine (2006)
WWE be worried Cena could be next to Hollywood
I saw an early preview of this film and boy was I shocked at how well it was shot and acted. Though (by contract) I'm not allowed to release any major details of this movie I can tell you that this is the best 'action' movie I have seen in ages. Cena is fantastic in his role and has 'the next Rock' written all over him, he just has fantastic screen presence and perfect 'hollywood' timing. Robert'T-1000'Patrick is awesome and is perfect in his villain role. Like all action films the story is a bit over the top but actually makes sense and is easy to follow. Don't expect Shakespeare or anything but there are a couple of great lines in the movie. Despite all it's action movie cliché's it came off to me as fresh, fun and definitely worth the admission fee, don't be put off because it's a wwe production. Big Thumbs UP!
Taxi Driver (1976)
Vastly Overrated
In theory this film should be a deep psychological study on loneliness, boredom, delusion and depression. However for me it just didn't click and the ending didn't make any sense at all, he shot two guys and was 'rewarded'. Though I understand it was not an action film but analysing one mans demise it was extremely boring and jumped from Travis being relatively sane one minute to him being absolutely nuts the next with no gradual decline. Great idea in theory but overall vastly overrated simply because it has De Niro in it who I thought was OK at best. I actually believe they should of looked far deeper into his mind and habits seeing how they gradually got worse over time. Even the famous line 'you talking to me' is actually done better in parodies than in the actual film. Overall this film has a good concept but just doesn't deliver I believe if it were to be remade it could be a top movie as the idea is fascinating.
Andrew Barbarash
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Overrated but fun end to the saga
I saw Revenge of the Sith the other night with huge expectations and in most accounts it delivered. However there were a number of area's that were so poorly done that it really did take a lot away from the movie.
The scenes involving Anakin and Padme were so poor that to overlook this would be just plain wrong in my opinion. Due to the poor chemistry and wooden acting Anakins reasons for turning to the darkside seemed even less excusable. Also the scene where Padme gives birth to Luke and Leah seemed so rushed it was laughable. In fact the last 15 minutes of the film with what were meant to be the most important scenes of the prequals felt so watered down it just made everything overall seem rushed and anti-climatic, which leads me too...
Anakins transformation to Darth Vader, this scene was meant to go down as perhaps the most famous scene in cinematic history, but turned out to be for me a cheesy comedy sketch. When Anakin breaks the chains free and wobbles you could argue that was a natural reaction as he wasn't use to his robotic legs. But in reality it looked plain stupid as Hayden Christensen wasn't nearly built enough to be Darth Vader and just looked silly. Then the cry of "Noooooooo" was so pathetic half the cinema was laughing. The whole scene came across as cheesy, rushed and anti-climatic which left a sour taste in my mouth.
I could talk further about the awful acting throughout but I won't bore you so I will talk about the good stuff. The effects were as expected magnificent and the flow of the film was excellent, also the movie partly due to the insane build up felt 'epic' and lead perfectly into Star Wars 'New Hope'.
Overall Revenge of the Sith is a fun film and certainly answers all the unanswered questions, but it far from exceeded my personal expectations. It does however close the Star Wars story in a positive fashion and is clearly superior to the other two prequals.