Change Your Image
rjmmcelroy
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
When I'm Sixty-Four (2004)
"Short little life, really." "Such a short life"
Bittersweet moments of change bring a couple together at low tide. Uncomfortable and moving, this view of English culture tags toxic masculinity with humanity.
"Such a short little life," means so much more when breaking barriers. You gotta love when a film has meaning beyond entertainment.
This is art.
Love Is Blind (2019)
Disjointed Intrigue
The ideas are absolutely brilliant suppositions; but, the writing was sub-par and uneven performances took me out of the story. (Matt, if you are going to have to speak the clunky lines, put some heart into it and try to make believe.)
Sorry to say that it made me cry. So I give it a 9!
Ordinary Joe (2021)
Elderly college graduate seeking rockstar fame.
Waaaay too old. Miscast and soppy. And unrealistic - everyone wants this guy. Why?
Seriously. Every opportunity he could desire is clamoring for him. Who are the entitled people people that get this treatment? The writers need a rewrite.
To be serious, only Subway wants him. Like most real people, his unfocused college time prepared him to be a sandwich artist... or door-to-door knife salesman or ... maybe even a liquor distributor - the kind with a dolly.
The best thing about the show is that it can teach highschoolers to establish a realistic major and career path early. Oh, and college only has super hot girls who adore bland nice guys.
Skip this Hollywood nonsense. Sorry kids, life is much, Much, MUCH more difficult, convoluted, and painful.
In no world do offers and opportunities fall from the heavens. If you disagree, you've already hit the jackpot and are travel writing around the world enjoying first-class treatment on your dead super-rich uncle's dime.
This could be a good show. But not with this (mis)cast and these writers.
American Horror Stories: Ba'al (2021)
Not getting better
Don't bother... the reviews are astroturf hype. No pacing, no big ideas, just amateurish filler that someone talentless, like me, could have produced.
Ohhh, here's an idea: a woman finds a magical talisman that allows her to read minds... only each time she uses it she loses memories. Eventually she becomes only an empty vessel... like this episode.
Fantastic Four (2015)
No chase scene? Great!
Comic book movies have an ugly tendency to be one long chase scene after another and I'm thankful that this isn't one of those.
What this movie is... is an origin movie that quickly moves to a quick evil-scientist death scene conclusion. It is VERY apparent that the "management" team undercut the director and cut it to the bone, and then some.
I can only hope that the studio/management team lost their jobs for this disservice. But that is rarely what happens. Blame the director, blame the writers, blame the actors but never ever blame those who made the mistake.
Enjoy it for what it is: chopped meat reminiscent of a fairly tasty movie. A 'director's cut' would be appreciated and helpful. But don't expect management to allow that.
Pretty Dudes (2016)
Potentially good Narcissism
I watched all the way through and enjoyed it. However, it didn't really add up to more... which it could have. Too much must have ended up on the editing room floor.
It would have been improved by going to hour long episodes with focus on each character - fleshed out, not sketched out. Dangling thread lines were frustrating. The ending, while touching, didn't quite fit.
I'd recommend this in hopes that it has influence... pretty people to be seen as handicapped-ish... gay acceptance... unusual friendships having unique value.... minorities as leads.
Oh, when directors see an ill-fitting scene. Take your actors aside, give them creative space and re-shoot. It can add unique bouquet and depth.
After Forever (2018)
Too soon... gone too soon.
Wanting more is always the sign of something good.
Anyone who is been in love feels these same emotions. I loved these shorts and hope that everyone who has lost someone is found, redeemed and understands.
Film-making Isn't easy; but, when it tells these truths, it just seems right. It just seems right.
Friends from College (2017)
Not one friend here. Harvard must be awful.
Every last person is nasty and quite unlikable. Half are poor losers painted to suck up to the wealthy 'winners' who are morally bankrupt manipulators living off/with the poor.
Throw in soppy melodrama, constant infidelity, poor writing and unfunny comedy, and you have an unpleasant experience. Maybe it's best to not binge - it concentrates the ick factor of fully repugnant characters.
Loneliness beats these losers by a long shot.
Shameless (2011)
Poorly written
If you can't suspend disbelief, you'll not understand how a 15 year old has a job as a welder, is the union rep, a millionaire girlfriend (while dating her daughter) is hiding her own stash of super-designer clothes, is raising a daughter and managing an out-of-control household while hiding a family of 30+ illegal aliens who are manufacturing and selling vegan tamales. Next up? Is she the first female to solve cancer working as an astronaut?
This is the most believable plot line. Good acting can't fix this horrible writing.
Winchester (2018)
Rare gem blends horror and true emotion
I expected little from this movie and walked in with low expectations of a few shocks and jumps. So much more... so very much more!
What I got was a quality horror movie that was uplifted with an amazing love story of emotions, regret and fear. More amazing was that the authentic emotional payout came without syrupy romantic flashback nonsense. Who expects a shotgun blast to be romantic trigger?
The characters elevated the genre beyond anything in recent memory. I am a movie 'tweener; mixed genres are extremely difficult to pull off, so I appreciate them much more. Think Ghost and The Conjuring in a historical period piece. The story of a broken man made whole by facing fear is powerful.
"Winchester" is a perfect example of "realistic" love and loss and horror. The love story hits unexpectedly like a shotgun blast.
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Pathetic attempt at film-making
Was this super sophisticated or racist, repugnant and just plain awful? Hepburn's twirling of cigarettes and cocktails indicates it wants to be one; but, ends-up the others.
Lula-May (Holly) has escaped her rural life to become a sweet, delicate sophisticated whore in NYC. Oh my! Hint: this is the original version of "Pretty Women" (without the ah-hem... substance)
Andy Rooney plays an Asian. Buddy Epson plays a urban Oklahoman hick. George Peppard plays a "sophisticated" NYC hustler AKA novelist. Patricia Neal play a rich john. Holly play an innocent "sophisticated" hooker. The entire cast smokes and drinks their way through poor writing and bad direction playing sophisticated NYC sophisticates. Did I mention how sophisticated everyone is?
Watch Audrey try to walk and "act" in her assortment of coterie dresses - unexpectedly hilarious. Is it that they are too tight at the ankles, knees, hips, breasts... or is she just "acting" drunk? Fred/Paul/Peppard, the male hooker, has 42 sophisticated suits.. his closet is sooo sophisticated!
Does Audry/Holly/Lula-May become the wife of the seventh richest man in America? Perhaps she'll marry the 50th richest Brazilian. Will she marry the rich mafia "Tomato"? Will she marry the rich novelist who writes for the "funny little magazine"? Or will she marry Mr. Berman, the electric bed billionaire? Rusty Trawler knows.
Moon River, like "Memories" in Cats, is the only good thing about this movie. And it, just as George Peppard's sky blue eyes and Audrey Hepburn's perfect hair, makeup and assortment of pink diamond tiaras, can't make this movie watchable.
"Please, darling, don't look at me like that." Better yet, don't look at this crap at all... unless you want some tips on how to throw sophisticated NYC hooker parties.
Fresh Off the Boat (2015)
Ewwwww. TIVO, Cancel my season pass!
This show had promise, but the writing is so bad you hardly notice the bad casting and poor acting. There is so much room for improvement on all fronts that its hard to know where to start.
First off, I understand that it is difficult to write for an 11 year old. But all the sexual focus on a pre-pubescent child is repugnant. The biggest problem is that the writers seem to think that an 11 year old has a mature grasp on sexuality. We have all been 11 year-olds and certainly did more giggling than scheming. Even the 6 year-old boy hangs with his girlfriend. Worse yet, the poor writing indicates that school administration is unprepared and inexperienced with such issues.
The kid's dialogue was obviously written by adults who don't have children and really don't seem interested in understanding their complexity and randomness of thought. The dialogue and voice-over narrative could be spoken as easily by a 55 year old as a child.
I can't find a reason to watch a 3rd episode. There are absolutely no redeeming qualities in this mess.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
All chase, no point!
I was fully hoping that this would be as good as the first. And since Americans had made it #1 after THREE weeks, how could it be a waste of $14?
As best as I can recall, there was a chase, then another chase, then even more chases. Then, there was a fight, and another and then another. Then there was some really lame-ass romance that had nothing valid (unless porn is real) and then there was some lusty looks and then some more lusty looks. It was just awful.
I felt like a grown-up at a kids party where everyone had said that Barney was the smartest, most suave person ever. No, it's a purple character who sings pathetic songs.
Seriously, there wasn't any setup. This is like watching the Indy 500. Loud, exciting, repetitive and boring after 420 laps. You will hear the sound and see the action, but why should anyone care? Oh, because Capin' America is a hero? No, give me an actual reason to watch.
And why DID they title it "winter soldier"? Anyone? Anyone at all?
George B. (1997)
Badly written waste of time
Of the hundreds and hundreds of movies that I've sat through, this is the worst of the lot. Bad dialogue was just the beginning of the end. There was no plot, not point, no purpose, no reason to watch this film. Now the obligatory compliment - the lead actor playing George did an "OK" job - although he should have read the script before taking the role. The writing was about as bad as you can get - "So... this girl of yours, does she have a name?" or perhaps "This is a boys only house!!!" qualify as lines that I only wish I'd never heard. I feel cheated for having taken my time to watch this mess. If I had any part in the making of this movie, I'd hide my head in shame.