OftenCriticalGuy Reviews

Braveheart (1995)

Wildly Overrated

[5/10 · 24 September 2023]

This is veeeeeerrrry well worn dramatic territory. It's a trope, it's a cliche. It has virtually no historic value. It's just Good Guy fights Bad Guy for Really Basic Reasons. Then they dress it up about freedom. It's pathetic.

The movie is fine, its well produced, well shot, well acted. It's just nothing special. For me, the crazy Irish guy is really fun. But there is plenty of talent on screen. Not including Mel Gibson.

If you're looking to hate easy villains and love easy heroes, this is a great film. No messing with complicated motives, troublesome ideas, or historical details. Just good v evil and you know how it ends. Status quo. All is well. Go to sleep happy.

Thank god they're not making this exact same story over and over again in modern film. Might have to shoot off my mouth about it again.

How to with John Wilson: How to Improve Your Memory (2020) Season 1, Episode 3

It's really great

[10/10 · 23 September 2023]

I'm pretty new to this series, and I've enjoyed what I've seen. I felt compelled to write a review of this particular episode because the ending is just an absolute masterpiece. The whole ep is great, it's fascinating to see people grapple with our human frailties and come up with extremely unlikely explanations simply to avoid thinking their minds are not steel traps of knowledge. It's a bit scary to think you can't trust your memories. It does seem that a LOT of these "Mandela Effect" memories are held by Gen Xers. Odd?

But my main purpose is to say the ending is so friggin funny that I would encourage everyone to watch at least this one episode.

Goliath (2016–2021)

Season 1: Bad Writing, Bad Directing

[2/10 · 31 August 2023]

A slog of tropes, absurdly long useless scenes, and did I say tropes?

It's impossible to say there's real cinematography going on here. It's very very tedious, ordinary shots. Well lit, well set dressed. If that does it for you, this is quite good. If you like story, this is just total garbage.

You could fit these 8 episodes into 4 SO EASILY it's a joke. I watched this mostly at 2x speed because it's SO TEDIOUS. 2-3 times per episode I had to slow it down a bit because things were ACTUALLY HAPPENING.

The acting is hard to judge, because the writing and directing are so clearly lacking that maybe they had nothing good to do. There's certainly a lot of talented actors here. Does it help? Not really.

To sum up: Don't Waste Your Time, You've Seen This Before And It Was Better.

Rubicon (2010)

Watch "The Company" Instead

[4/10 · 11 August 2023]

I'm a fan of espionage and intrigue that doesn't involve Tom Cruise head-butting everyone in sight. I mean, those are good movies, but they're not about the intriguing world of real-world espionage.

This show has the atmosphere and the promise of great things, but it's sooooo draaaaaawn ooooouut. The theme is great, the writing and characters are SO THIN you'll likely wander away for food and end up forgetting you were watching something. I've watched this series more than once, and it's the sort of show you keep forgetting you've seen because it's so forgettable and pointless.

That said, I like James Badge Dale in this, but he has little to say or do. None of the characters do much. Very thin. I recommend "The Company" instead. It's similar in tone, and even though the characters are also kinda thin and the story a bit "meh", it's much more interesting, with better espionage details.

The Americans (2013–2018)

Soulless garbage with a few interesting historical bits

[3/10 · 5 July 2023]

If you or someone you know ABSOLUTELY LOVES this show - please seek counseling. You've got some major emotional problems.

I'd checked out some episodes of this show before, thought it was just very unpleasant. Ugly coloration, every character is cold-blooded and unreal except the annoying thinly/poorly written kids.

Saw the high reviews again recently, thought I'd give it another shot, and binged up to S04E02 when my brain started having thoughts of punching myself in the face repeatedly as potentially more fun than another episode.

IMO, it is shocking how garbage this show is compared to it's IMDb ratings. Here's basically every episode: parents kind of grimace at each other. Kids act like caricatures written by dads that were never home. Sex scene. More grimacing. Little sort-of correct espionage detail. Big very incorrect espionage detail(s). Sex scene. Someone screws up, fight ensues, someone(s) are killed. Sex scene. Virtually no emotion but murder, jealousy, lust and fear. Run credits. No relatable characters. I suspect some botnet shenanigans on the ratings.

Death of a Superhero (2011)

Thin Brew

[5/10 · 17 January 2023]

I think the reason I put this on my watchlist was for the lead, Thomas Brodie-Sangster. How can it be an IMDb 7 rating and not be at least worth watching, even if not great? I'm not unhappy I watched it. I was really hoping for more, though.

I'm not gonna tell you the whole story. The themes are very familiar to most movies about coming to grips with loss - lots of other movies pop to mind, the most apt being "Good Will Hunting". There's even... let's say the writers got 'inspired'.

I think Thomas Brodie-Sangster did pretty well without eyebrows and with the pretty lame writing.

And wow, the writing is thin AF. There's little real emotion. I saw another review say 'melodrama', and YES. Not drama. Milquetoast made-for-TV level drama, not real drama.

Part of this wet fart have the main character 'into' drawing and comic books. It is incredibly underdeveloped. In fact, that's what I'll say. The whole movie is incredibly underdeveloped. Avoid like an unfinished bridge. Go watch "Banshees of Inisherin" if you like tougher, realer movies. Otherwise, there's like 10 seasons of 'The OC' you're gonna love. Maybe just 6. One forgets.

There's one nagging thing - there's a soundtrack 'generic rock song' that sounds a LOT like a "Republica" song. Something about baby i'm ready to go. This movie is so derivative!

Barbarian (2022)

Impressive

[8/10 · 16 November 2022]

Look. Horror movies have been done to death. I don't know why people watch them, I find them extremely dull. I was not exposed to any hype for this or anything. I was first made aware of this movie because a RedLetterMedia "Half in the Bag" YouTube vid appeared today, and I thought, "well, I should actually watch this movie before seeing the spoilers, because it sounds like it might be good." I was 50/50 because lately those guys have been loving what i think is garbage.

What I'll say is when you think you know what's up, it changes dramatically. This is a repeating pattern. It keeps changing it up, and that's what I found so much fun. It kept adding new elements, and mostly that's what I loved. It never stopped changing, adding new and unique elements to a horror movie. It was super fun. If I'd seen this in a theater, I might have annoyed other viewers, I was so enthused by it. Like, laughing with joy at extremely tense but fascinating moments. Like, clapping. I might even have exclaimed at points. I never do this. I really never do, but this could absolutely pushed me to that point.

Georgina Campbell and Bill Skarsgard were great, as was Justin Long. To some extent this movie reminded me of "Mandy", another impressive and inventive movie.

Resurrection (2022)

Huh?

[4/10 · 12 September 2022]

I'm a fan of all the actors here, they did great work. It's the story. What the hell is the story? I'm unconvinced there IS a story here. Something about motherhood and abuse. Unclear. Great acting, pretty good cinematography... Seems like a script from an collegiate undergrad. But hey, this is from COVID times, so maybe that explains it all.

Hall is great the daughter is great. I think Tim Roth is phoning it in, but that's just me. Probably he's wishing he'd played his Hateful Eight character different. Or maybe he wishes the coffee was better. IMDB requires a 600 character review, but doesn't tell you how many characters are in your review. Talk about sadism.

Thirteen Lives (2022)

Good-ish, but I don't recommend

[6/10 · 23 August 2022]

If the movie had a better direction to the story, and it was 30 minutes shorter, it would be a 7/10. Overlong and flabby, it's a 6/10. IT IS NOT WORTH THE RUNTIME.

When the movie starts... for like 25 minutes I was wondering wtf is this movie going for. It's very all over the place in a weird way that kept me looking for a tone that just didn't exist. I think what happened is they wanted to make a movie about a thing and they had very little idea about a direction. The focus kept shifting to unrelated threads, introducing characters and details that never mattered, and in the end only fleshes out like 3-4 characters by the end. Which is kinda pathetic given the runtime. I watched it mostly at 1.25x speed, because IT IS NOT WORTH THE RUNTIME.

Meh. It was fine. Wouldn't recommend, though.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Paint By Numbers

[3/10 · 5 August 2022]

I was excited to see this, as I've seen good press and family have said it's really good.

I was so disappointed I wanted to leave in the first 20 minutes. The person I was with wanted to stay. So I saw every last pathetic minute of this absolute trash that the studios are deadset on putting out just to make a buck.

I was told it's better than the original. It's often worse.

I remembered one of the great elements of the original was the aerial photography. I thought this would have waaaay more and better aerial photography. IT HAD LESS?!?! HOW DOES THAT WORK????

This is another soulless cash-grab. Watching this movie, I wondered if a Transformers movie might be better.

I hated this movie. The original is not great, but it's better.

The Gray Man (2022)

Really liked it

[7/10 · 25 July 2022]

Lots of people are hating on this, but it seems to me almost exactly like John Wick, so I don't get it. What's the problem? I mean, what in this movie is dumber than some mystical "honorable hitmen hotel" in John Wick?

I'm not usually one for action movies, but this one got me. I thought the writing was really smart, and challenging to keep up with all the nuances and details. The first couple action set pieces were kinda dumb and impossibly jarring to follow, so I was all set for disappointment. However, by the middle sequence, it was actually pretty phenomenal, and it won me over.

Was it cliched? Yes. Was the ending basically obvious, like all action movies? Yes. In fact, I think the ending (while trying to do something different?) was actually the worst part. Expect a sequel.

How to Change Your Mind (2022)

Hallucinogens deserve better

[20 July 2022]

I think I liked Michael Pollan. I've heard him in radio interviews. I have only watched like 15 minutes of this thing, and I already hate it with the intensity of the burning sun. Right off the start, you know it's bad cause he describes what appears to be a nasal spray of a specific cocktail of "tobacco" drugs, and he's idiotically thinking it's some amazing experience. IT'S CALLED NICOTINE YOU IDIOT.

I refuse to watch the rest as I'm sure it's complete crystal-loving drivel. I have nothing but disrespect for these boomer losers. Hallucinogens are quite wonderful, but this show sucks. Eat s--t, Michael Pollan. You'll probably think it's life changing.

The Terminal List (2022– )

Adult Male Power Fantasy

[4/10 · 6 July 2022]

Exactly the headline above. Goes to Jason Bourne levels of absurd levels of "competence" by a Spec Ops guy. There's a twisty element introduced early on that is sorely underused in favor of espionage/action cliches.

It's nothing special. You've probably seen this story before. At least once. 4/10.

The Batman (2022)

Overlong, kinda dull

[6/10 · 20 April 2022]

IMDB has a length requirement on reviews.

First time I tried watching this I could NOT pay attention, nothing was connecting with me. I tried again and it was better, but still kinda dull feeling. The length is a problem. It's alright overall. I dunno.

Fresh (2022)

Waste of time

[5/10 · 17 April 2022]

This could've made an interesting 45-60 minutes. Instead, prepare to be bored out of your mind for half the movie. If you're a movie buff, you've seen most of these tropes hundreds of times.

Also, very misandrist. A bit similar to "Promising Young Woman", which was much better. I mean, this goes into absurd horror, so I guess whatever?

All the Old Knives (2022)

Paperback trash, and dull

[5/10 · 9 April 2022]

People here saying this is a good spy film are morons. When were intelligence co-workers allowed to date, let alone make out in the office all the time? Morons. This is pulp, pure and simple. Jonathan Price is particularly bad, Newton is just bleh, and the writing is a bad joke. I started watching on the strength of the cast list, but realized pretty quick that's all it had going for it.

Did I mention it was uncommonly dull?

Hard Core Logo (1996)

Not a Mockumentary

[7/10 · 17 February 2022]

This movie means to portray real life with a documentary film crew capturing it.

It's about unspoken feelings between close friends, and how they can get really twisted and destructive as these friends' lives diverge and they are forced or find themselves thrust apart. It's about why certain relationships need to end for a new future to begin. Also, the reason you don't massively lie to your friends - you'll be found out, and they will hate you for it.

The Lion in Winter (1968)

I'd call it "Meh"+

[6/10 · 9 February 2022]

It's really hard to give a fair rating to a film before film-making got sophisticated. Especially so with a movie that's, let's be honest, is just a stage play - the acting is often way too big for film, and the cinematography is almost non-existent. The visuals, costumes and sets are pretty dull. The audio is amazingly bad - it helps you realize how great film audio is now.

So, it's impossible for me to fairly judge it of it's own time. As for today, it's pretty blah. I watched a lot of it sped up, it's really dull at normal speed (though there are some riveting dialogues). Worth watching as film history - to see how different acting and film-making was in those days.

Raised by Wolves (2020–2022)

Incredibly frustrating - don't watch

[5/10 · 3 February 2022]

The show has a lot going for it - production design, cinematography, acting, special effects, a compelling premise. However, as usual, the writing ruins everything. It's not bad on a per-episode basis, or even over a story arc. It's effective, and fascinating at points.

That being said, it becomes pretty clear there is NO PLAN for this story. It'll pull you in, then show something completely absurd that ruins things - all because the writers felt stuck, so they gotta make up some BS to get to their next action scene or plot point.

It's just another sad example of how pointless it is to do a sci-fi show without sci-fi writers. They will always turn it into melodrama and ruin the science and reality for the feels.

It's not completely awful, there are some great moments and scenes and ideas. But I recommend if you do watch, try to learn from the ways it sucks. Then make a video essay about it so we aren't stuck in the whirlpool of sci-fi garbage we've been in for 20 years.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

Shameless cashgrab

[5/10 · 6 January 2022]

There's almost nothing new in this film. It's all regurgitated from the first film. They didn't even puke up the best parts. Why was this made? Oh right, cashgrab.

Save Yourselves! (2020)

A quirky oddball. It kinda won me over.

[6/10 · 15 November 2021]

I watched this 92 minute movie about listless cluelessness in about 60 minutes by upping the playback speed. It dramatically enhances the experience, I highly recommend it.

It's slow, but kinda pleasant. It has meaningfully underdeveloped themes. Like the character's lives, get it? The tone isn't particularly funny, but the performances were funny enough to match it. Dry humor. Possibly some anti-humor, but I'm really bad at detecting that.

I wonder how many viewers will find themselves back on their *other* screens within 5-10 minutes? Why make a movie when your target audience is the subject, and the topic is how they can't pay attention?

For All Mankind: Bent Bird (2019) Season 1, Episode 9

More bad writing

[3/10 · 10 November 2021]

A simple trick hack writers use is to make their characters do stupid things to make something dramatic happen. If they're decent hack writers, there's at least a hand-wave at a good reason. These writers went for "no good reason". It's not a spoiler. This episode is dumber than the last.

For All Mankind: Rupture (2019) Season 1, Episode 8

Such. Bad. Writing.

[3/10 · 10 November 2021]

The writers got bored with their own premise. The writers can't find enough legitimate drama in the space premise, so they start inventing this absurd melodrama all over the place. This is little better than a daytime soap. Hey! What if an astronaut has a long lost twin? And that twin was raised in RUSSIA and he's a COSMONAUT. Oh, and then we can do an amnesia plot, everyone loves those.

The premise is solid, and they just fowl it up with this bad and overworn melodrama. It's like if Mad Men lost half it's IQ. If not more.

The Card Counter (2021)

Anemic

[4/10 · 2 October 2021]

Most aspects of this film are very good. The story is barely there, though. The writing/dialog is sometimes very bad. The direction is patchy - good bits but mostly ordinary and sometimes pretty bad. The last shot is... really stupid.

The extreme fisheye lens shots will bend your brain with the warping geometries in the shot.

Overall, I think the phrase "Go to bed, old man" is appropriate. Paul Schrader is accomplished. I think it's time to stop.

Clickbait (2021)

Cliche Mashup

[4/10 · 29 September 2021]

The premise is interesting, a few of the themes are worth thinking about (how the internet has destroyed nuance and made everyone terrible).

The script is TRASH. Characters do things both absurdly stupid and absurdly OVERDRAMATIC constantly. The characters are tissue paper thin, and ALL of the writing is just an excuse to string together dramatic hits and twists.

Best way to watch this is on the highest playback speed you can understand, keeping your finger on the "Jump Ahead" button for every "lets talk a little" scene. Don't worry, they're a waste of time. Also, anything you miss will be repeated at least a couple times if it's at all important to the plot. You can get through this whole mess in under 4 hours.

Why 4 stars? The production is decent, and the acting is fine - it's the script and the direction that makes the acting look bad.