paularoger-94717 Reviews

SEAL Team VI (2008)

A bit of a mess, but good story

[5/10 · 27 January 2024]

Well since this is based on real events, I have to say its a story worth telling even if the movie budget is low for their movie making. I liked it a bit, though I could see obvious shortcuts and bare patches. For instance all the so called seal team selection and training appeared to happen in one day, on the deck of an aircraft carrier, given all the jet sounds in the background, all shot from a low angle so we cant actually see anything. But it did give us a sense of really hardass training. Selection and training are two different things, and take months if not years before you are in a team.

The mission briefing on the ship was so brief, I had almost no idea of what they were going to do, it was more of a hardass pep talk. I would have much preferred a real discussion around maps and photos, and a clear "this is our objective".

The swimming ashore was very unconvincing, but I accept that they do in fact do this at times. I'd love to know how they swim 3 miles. Then swim ashore undetected and pull out a gun and shoot a guard.

I'm not a soldier, but I thought a lot of the backchat was to the sergeant was unprofessional. In fact I had a bit of a problem with the whole Hurrah atmosphere, the jargon mixed with swearing, and If you f---- up I;m going to kick your ass, Like they are all trying to prove themselves ALL the time. Music too loud and overthetop dramatic/hurrah/patriotic

The cutting and splicing of scenes had a swirling feeling, like where in time are we? However the movie did have an air of tension and threat, bravery and maximum effort.

Good effort, try again guys.

Vertical Limit (2000)

Comedy or Silly Melodrama

[5/10 · 28 August 2023]

As an ex mountain climber and avid reader of mountain climbing tales, this is just a high octane Hollywood action movie with no relationship to the real high altitude mountain climbing. To me two things typify this: Temuera Morrison flies the Iroquois helicopter up to base camp at 5150m then takes on seven passengers and flies up to 6400m. The max ceiling of the Iroquois is 3400m. No wonder he had trouble unloading it.

A man and pack hanging above the abyss, held onto the wrist of a young lady climber who in turn hanging by her ice axe hastily plunged into the ice as a massive clunk of ice breaks off above him. Then she swings him to a rock ledge 3 metres away! Why didn't they add in a fugitive terrorist with an AK 47to add some adrenaline?

There were other things, no oxygen, no high altitude porter, splitting into 3 parties on separate routes (not possible on K2), no fixed ropes, no established camps on the upper mountain, no Sherpas, no acclimatisation It did have beautiful scenery, when it wasn't a polystyrene ice cave. And it had some of the very tough themes in mountain rescue: do we endanger more lives to save someone, do we feed someone who is going to die, how do we cope with loss and tragedy?

Outside the Wire (2021)

Race to the wire, save the world

[8/10 · 25 January 2023]

I thought this was a really well made movie, engaging and visua. Lly stunning. Mostly believable and things like the transparent bionic man are ok in a movie universe.

I did not understand why Leo does what he does at the end. Seems to be more American self criticism like many other movies.

Also and interesting prediction here of things going on is Ukraine given the current war there. They are smarter and stronger than this movie portrays.

No faults with the CGi or music score. Maybe I found Harp both a sympathetic hero and at times loud and annoying. Leo didnt have any machine quirks, perhaps and little too human in his AI, Great fluid fighter tho.

Project 'Gemini' (2022)

Enjoyed it, funny corny

[6/10 · 23 January 2023]

Sometimes I enjoy a good B movie, this one was well made, attention to detail, excellent sound effects. Well done set builders and CGI. In Contrast to real spaceships, this one has a vast internal design of corridors and air locks, and is made of steel. Very heavy. And when it blasts off, it is only 100 m away from a roller door, to protect the public, haha I'm reminded of the Far Side cartoon of the boy who is outside the Midvale school for the Gifted, pushing to get in a door that says PULL. The trojan highly technically advance biorobot, but it prefers to batter the airlock door open than use the open button.

The sphere and plasma drive are found in a cave 4 billion years old, which is older that the Evolutionist tell us the planet earth is. Haha. I dont believe either timeline Major Movie Theme: Science and tech are destroying the planet and trying to save it at the same time, because mankind it half crazy. Thats what happens when you try to become your own god Where did the trojan come from again? Why did it immediately try to attack?

How can you find a Sphere and go back in time to create life on earth, classic time conundrum?

I seems the Russian actors spoke their lines in English, but the film makers dubbed it over with English voice actors. So it sounds correct English but makes the acting seems unconvincing and corny. Very good CGI and sound effects very menacing at times.

The director owes a lot to the Alien movie, obviously liked it and so did I.

Shooter (I) (2007)

High IMPACT action hero movie

[7/10 · 22 January 2023]

I was half expecting to hear James Bond music playing, it had the same level of unbelievableness to it at times. James has his department of Gadgets and Weapons plus an MI6 expense account to rely on. Swagger has a stolen pickup truck, the Home Depot and his own credit card. Thats enough to buy another bunch of assault rifles, sniper rifle, knives, handguns , ammo, gunpowder radios, radio controls and make about 200 litres of Napalm. Excellent. And also the camo suits for the farmhouse attack Actually I liked the explosions, and helicopter crashes. I did wonder from time to time how he coped with his conscience and all the killing. About 30 deaths on the trot at the beautiful farm house. Why did the 24 highly trained special ops always miss when shooting at him. Why weren't they there observing him and Nic setting up the bombs? Good big explosions though.

Bond and MI6 are usually at odds with some multinational ogre with a name like Spectre, but in many American action movies it the Government itself that is corrupt and rotten, inept. Don't like that level of moral self assassination much.

Great scenery changes, liked that. Did not understand how he changed from bush camo gear to white snow camo in the mountain scene at the end?

Did not like the last scene where he comes in, vigilante style and kills 5 people in cold blood and then drives off with his shocked looking girlfriend. However what I was expecting was for some unknown assassin, from higher up, to come in and kill Glover and the Senator for bungling the whole operation.

As for Mark Wallberg, his acting is intense, physical and somewhat wooden given all the trauma he goes through. In all he kills about 60 people. That makes him more comparable to Rambo as others have pointed out.

Without Remorse (II) (2021)

Well made movie, good acting, and a few very implausible leaps

[7/10 · 22 January 2023]

Well Made movie with v. Good set reallism, solid acting and some good twists.

Starts with a very odd leap. A baddy stops to wash his hands in a dark pool of water in an apparently bombed out building. A hand pulls him into the pool and he disappears, then a squad of Navy Seals emerges to quickly shoot some other baddies. Where/how/why were they in the pool?? Then stealthily they are climbing up the same building to get view of bombed out Aleppo. Then next morning they are sauntering thru the streets, in full combat gear to enter the Seal Team operation base. Like really, just walk into the building in Syria in all your US seal team gear? Ok, at least we understand this is a cohesive team in a very difficult place. It sets the scene and the pace, kill and move on.

Kelly is a great shot, tho not perfect. He is nearly killed by some bullet wounds to his shoulder and chest. Later he is back to full strength and has no scars. He has great breath holding ability

Their plane is shot down nearing Russian airspace, on the way to Murmansk. It breaks and begins to sink. Kelly Swims deeper into the wreck and releases a large duffel bag with the Zodiak, others are wearing their full combat gear and swim to the surface. Using the aid of passenger inflatable life jackets, he ascends the 100 or so feet to the surface with the zodiac bag. He surfaces right in the middle of the team and the Zodiak immediately starts to inflate. Included in the bag are the 40 HP outboard and enough fuel for 50(?) km or so the harbour at Murmansk. Suspend belief here for all that action. They still have all their gear. Ritter, unconcerned, beats them there.

Later they get into a van and drive through military checkpoints to the Seal team centre for operations. Really? I feel for the black soldiers on this operation. They have zero chance of ever blending into the population if things go wrong, excellent soldiers tho they are.

They know exactly where their target person is. Kelly decides not to snipe him from the building across the street, he has to meet personally with the man who killed his family. Etc. They get cornered, etc they fight their way out, Kelly is a hero, he kills about 15 to 20 baddies, and is badly injured, but he drives an ambulance directly to the Seal safe building and his buddies take him inside, shot up as he is etc. They bandage him up and he is ok to take a long boat ride home etc The incensed Russians let them slip away.

Later he grabs a Secretary (of defence or something big in the Govt) and gets him to his SUV. He has to drive it off a bridge to get the confession from him that he wants. It is dramatic, but Kelly has great breath holding ability. Then a friend turns up in SCUBA to help rescue him. Kelly grabs the tape player but forgets to put the Secretary into the driving seat and take off the handcuffs. But that doesn't matter, they think it is suicide. Kelly appears in public train station but is not worried that surveilance might see him. He is a ghost after all . So I think there are some huge plot leaps that left me puzzled or not believing the story at all. But I enjoyed it nevertheless.

Gold (I) (2022)

Grym As In Grimy, Gloomy Gutsy Gory

[5/10 · 22 July 2022]

And that about says it all. Nice looking lead actor, covered in dirt and grime almost entire movie. Limps to a sad end, gored by dogs.

He made a bad choice, trusting his life to someone who had earlier ripped him off. Better the two had gone to town and planned their excavation of the gold, and worked out a strategy for marketing it, gotten permits or mining licence.

When he wacked the woman over, you could tell that this was not going to end well for him.

Almost colourless movie.

The Power of the Dog (2021)

Confused me bout where it was going

[7/10 · 8 April 2022]

Beautifully made, really well acted and beautiful scenery Seemed like a genuine "western" farm in Montana but seemed different, sort of naked somehow. Partly no American wildlife I suppose. Was very impressed by the ranch house and barn, very authentic looking sets.

So yes it was a slow burn, really unsure where it was going. Was sad that George and his new wife weren't close despite their initial love. He couldn't dance and she couldn't play piano.

Felt sorry for the sensitive son, the butt of jokes and name calling.

The homosexual orientation of Phil is a very uncomfortable surprise, as is his change of heart toward Peter, and his sudden death from the hand wound infection.

It wasn't till I read the review below "This is a story of revenge." that it made sense, Peter plotted to give him anthrax through the rawhide that he made from the dead cattle beast. Related to this, the part where they dry the hides and then burn them made no sense to me.

But relating back to his initial comments about wanting to make his mother happy, and his statement to Phil that he used to be very hard, combined to explain that he was acting to protect his mother.

So what is the positive lesson from the movie? Not sure Did not like the mournful music, too moody.

Atomic Blonde (2017)

Great Spy Romp. Uncomfortable With Much of the Violence

[7/10 · 4 April 2022]

Upfront I acknowledge the high class acting, intriguing story, historic backdrop and cinematic skill of this offering. I did enjoyed watching it.

I just want say about it that I was not comfortable with all the killing and violence. 10 minutes after landing, Broughton is kicking someone in the face to get them out of the car in a sudden eruption of ?? Distrust, fear and malice.

The hose fight is clever and fast paced. She kills some and smashes others so that they will likely have life long disabilities when they recover, notwithstanding the fact that they appear to be baddies who are trying to kill her. Then she walks away cooly. A drink and a smoke suffices to calm her nerves. I'm left thinking this woman, for all her skill and calm knows how to accumulate mortal enemies from the minute she arrives. Thats going to cause problems.

Finally, baddy fight sequence on the marble stair case had me astonished that actors can take that kind of throw-them-down-the-stairs kind of abuse, let alone real spies. I felt sorry for Charlize having to do this just to earn a living, but I was also not comfortable watching that level of violence against a woman. And of course in real life there would be cracked ribs and broken noses, cuts and serious concussion. Anyone heard of post traumatic stress. Certainly not on this movie set.

500 MPH Storm (2013)

Fun Watch for a Dum Movie

[6/10 · 1 April 2022]

I really enjoyed watching this amateurish klutzy movie and noticing all the plot holes, contradictions and goofy acting.

Some of the highlights for me was every time there was an extreme weather event, it came "out of nowhere" and when it finished, it was suddenly a sunny day within a few minutes I enjoyed the teenage son, very excitable and dislikable. I just wanted to slap him and tell him to just play his game and stay out of the movie...

I liked how they had a totally revolutionary power generator in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, Hundreds of miles from any power grid. And when they fired it up, using all 7 staff, they set it up like missile launch and went to full reactor power in two minutes. Why does it have a nuclear reactor? Why is it in the Gulf.... At the movie climax, our galactic space hero is again flying a helo, and he has two missiles available to fire from his rather cramped Bell/Robinson cockpit. The first one he nervously shoots into the sea before he knows what he's doing. Careful, cautions the military captain, we've only got one more and after that we've got nothing. (I was kind of hoping the second one would miss so then they would have to crash into it to put it out of action) Undetered, our hero fires again, this time destroying the tower that fires the energy beam. This makes sense, if the reactor core is melting down and about release so much radiation into the atmosphere that not even cockroaches will survive, just nuke it, blow it up. A nice calm sunny day ensues. Nice....

I liked how they kept going back to the same abandoned glassy factory for shelter and to perform miracles with their handheld GPS. Good choice to shelter in, and I almost got to understand the layout of the place, somewhere in New Mexico....

The tornadoes, lightning and tsunamis often seemed to be targeting them, trying to stomp them out. Our galant hero out-drove them with his family yelling at him to go faster, haha. When your in a horrendous rainstorm with car wrecks littering the road, drive faster!

Then at about the 3/4 mark I realised that the actors were having pauses like they were waiting for one another to say or do something to carry the story on. Did they not have scripts or direction to follow? Man, if I was trying to act in a movie like this, I would find that stressful. So well done to the actors for hanging in there. It must have been a long weekend....

All in all, very funny to watch, thank you.

The Pilot: A Battle for Survival (2021)

Putin Flies Again

[6/10 · 23 March 2022]

Lets put Putin in the drivers seat of this one, growly gravelling fighting hero that he is. Oh yes Komrade just let mee keeel those dirrty Nazi bastards, leets make them sheet their pants haha.

Very well made, acted and CGI-ed, no problem there. I liked it up to the finale when they are all saluting the hero-pilot and then I thought of Putin in the Stadium the other day rallying patriotic support of the destruction of their "brother" Ukrainians (we love you so much we are going to blast the hell out of you to get you back) As a piece of history, well its true the Russian had to fight like hell to get Germans out of their Motherland.

Lets just say I wish Russia luck not having another Afghanistan in Ukraine. But thats where they are headed.

The Dark Knight (2008)

The Joker Dictates The Narrative

[8/10 · 4 March 2022]

Firstly I acknowledge the masterful way this movie is put together, the acting and the action, as all others have described.

The Joker leads to story throughout this blockbuster thriller, leaving everyone struggling to comprehend and catch up with his deranged vision of power. When he is finally in police custody, and is in the interview room, batman appears from nowhere (?), to question, torture and threaten the criminal. But we find the Joker once again chatting, laughing and taunting the caped crusader. He leads the conversation, while ignoring any pain or fear he might feel. He arouses Batman's curiosity, laughs at his naive understanding of justice, and then taunts him with titbits of information. He controls the conversation. Meanwhile the Joker has magically orchestrated all kinds of mayhem. Somehow, not explained, he planted buildings, hospitals, ferries with explosive leading police, batman and the public clueless as to what he is really doing. He has organised trucks, weapons cables and traps perfectly, despite everyone, including crimes bosses, hating and opposing him. Moving though the shadows with his small dedicated band of clowns he does whatever he wants with his signature brand of "funny terrorism". How does one pack enough hidden explosives to blow up a hospital, undetected, and then walk into the building on high alert in his garish costume? It strains credibility in a disturbing way.

This was my main reaction to the story, it is a disturbing vision of a city torn apart by greed, mania and revenge. Fortunately the world we live in is not that bad. Maybe the meta narrative is about the twisted, two faced nature of Man, his deep corruption, and yet the ultimate triumph of the forces of Good over Evil. Indeed the movie throws up questions like, who can you trust, who can be turned into an evil monster, how much power should even a good person have? And how can such a dishevelled person organise so well?

I liked the movie but found it a disturbingly dark fantasy of violence.

Escape from Mogadishu (2021)

No Mercedes Benzes Were Harmed in the Filming of this Movie

[9/10 · 12 February 2022]

Well actually they were just a little dented and bullet hole ridden, but most of the bullets were blanks. The book and sandbag covered cars were a delightful piece of theatre, nearly hysterical for me, like a piece of slapstick realism.

The collapse of Somalia was not so funny, though this part of it was a kind of climax as militias and the people ousted the increasingly brutal military government of Barre. This it world's most failed country, very fragile and hard to govern: Lets let factionalism, and violent resistance take over, splitting along geographic, ethnic, religious and philosophical lines, lets treat all outsiders as enemies and cockroaches, lets destroy the fabric of our society so our enemies can't benefit from it, let expose ourselves to drought poverty and famine and live in a place where the only employment is crime and fighting for a war lord, or kidnapping. That was Somalia in the 90's, and even now. Millions perished in the 90's, good story but a very sad piece of history too. Hope they will one day recover their once great civilisation.

One of the ironies of the story is that North Korea would have sold a lot of those guns that found their way onto the streets, to eventually be used against them as the diplomats tried to escape. America has the same problem on its own streets. Any ideas, people?

The Rebels of PT-218 (2021)

So Bad, its Funny!

[6/10 · 11 February 2022]

Chock full of cliches, bad or cheap CGI and corny dialogue, plus unrealistic take on the events of Operation Avalanche. But this is funny. This is unreal plastic super heroes on the high seas. Im searching the actors to see if someone has a cell phone in their pocket, or wearing reebok/addidas sneakers. I love how the 5 inch gun is craned way up when firing on the sub that is only 300 years away, and the round falls short, haha. Nazis, look out this guy means business. The meticulously planned operation onto Sicily can only muster this cargo ship as an battery to take out shore guns. Haha, pull the other one. Makes the mighty US navy look like the Panamanian Navy of Noriega.

Manifest (2018–2023)

Great Scenario, Edge of the Seat Thriller/Mystery

[9/10 · 24 January 2022]

Am enjoying this teasingly mysterious thriller, with layers of faith, paranormal, struggle and high level conspiracy. Like the actors and think it's very good acting. Quite fast paced each episode. It's fun and some good wisdoms along the way as the central family struggle to come to terms with their plight and callings. Am noticing how little information persons give each other about those intervening years, it seems to be slowly tortured out of them. The main wife is hardly ever busy at her job, catering tends to be a 24/7 job. People dialogue is very smart, quick and empathetic, but strangely guarded in what they say by way of explanation. Finally when Mich and ex fiancé hooked up again I started to feel I was watching Days of our Lives or Santa Barbara! As in interminable romances, second thoughts and betrayals.

Anyway, am going to keep watching, as I haven't worked out if it's God calling, aliens or technology.

The Last Son (2021)

Classic Western,

[5/10 · 18 January 2022]

I found this a disturbing tale of extreme violence and apparent lawlessness, mixed up with some lawmen, a possie, a preacher and a whore. I found it to be disjointed in the story line and in the scene shooting. Sam Worthington gets attacked by an Indian warrior and nearly killed, then he is captured and recovers on the move with no rest or food. Then he hunts down 8 men and kills them with a sheriff's knife and revolver. Then he reloads while walking towards the lethal and expertly handled Gatling gun spewing bullets, and guns down his last son.

The background season shifts from mid winter to autumn to summer and back to winter. It's snowing when he is hunting down the posse men in town, and suddenly sunny when there is the last gun scene and his daughter shoots him. So to me that was very disjointed. Its snowing outside, but inside the saloon the mother is wearing just underwear and not cold. I think they should have stuck with Autumn. It had some good honest dialogue, and some deranged stuff. As usual the preacher is creepy and apocalyptic which is very predictable and unhelpful.

So I wasn't convinced by this story as such. I did however like the sets, cabins and towns. All really realistic to my eye, be happy to live in one.

No Time to Die (2021)

A Nail for the Shoe on the Horse that Won the Battle

[8/10 · 18 December 2021]

I like Daniel Craig, he is cool and calm, handsome but still homely. I first saw him in Speilburg's Munich. He could easily be a builder or a real estate salesman. Although he is an awful womaniser, he doesn't come across as sleazy even though he has a bad habit of sleeping with widows and agents and then leaving them, immediately. Just like he leaves cars, yachts and houses, simply abandons them when no longer needed. Notably he never talks about settling down and raising a family. He ages gracefully and his body still works exceptionally well. I recall an earlier Craig/Bond where he was creaky and tired, and had bullet hole scars. These have all gone!

To understand this iteration, I had to go back and watch Spectre from 2015. It surprised me how little I remembered other than the Mexican celebration of the dead scenes. Anyway this time around he has started on a new life with the woman he saved in Spectre, She too is very likeable, sweet foreign but not too exotic, and smart.

They are in a truly exotic Italian city, when boom the actions starts when a grave monument blows up in the face of a grieving Bond. Of course it is the Spectre agents work, and they failed to use enough explosives and Bond is merely stunned and dusty. Last time this happened to me, I had ringing in my ears for months afterwards... Bond collects his wits and is off at the run, trying to save his girl from Spectre once again. I haven't figured this out yet but somehow an prosthetic eyeball in a baddie agent's eye socket is able to communicate with Blofeld who is in locked down in psychiatric prison in Britain? Blofeld, despite incredible restrictions and surveillance is able to still orchestrate his crime octopus. He has two objectives, to rule the world and persecute Bond to death, via explosions, disease, gunshots, car crashes, and shear humiliation, and betrayals. Did I mention gun fights.

A few things about the Bond world. He always get the girl, though they spurn him initially, eventually they fall for his fantastic dangerous charms. The baddies are terrible shots and more or less never hit him, especially if he is in his super bullet proof car. Bond has amazing escapes, he can knock a baddie down, grab his gun and shoot twenty others. He can swing on a power cable drop 30 metres, hit a wall and drop 10 metres to the ground and get up and run. Though he's a killer, he often fails to completely kill a baddie assassin, and they later reappear madder than ever. Baddies also die with one shot, without blood, unless they have a personality(see above). Bond enters time trial mazes where he must figure everything out and rescue the girl before.... the bomb goes off or the baddie kills himself and the girl. These sequences are just like a maze/puzzle third person shooter games like tomb raider. WW2 submarines bases are ideal. Cars/planes and gadgets are surreal. Eg his watch fries electric door controls and cctv cameras but leaves his earpiece communication alone. Bond doesn't need to ask how to fly something, he just works it out as he goes. This is especially true of helicopters and aeroplanes than can dive underwater and become subs! But baddies too have super powers, they can control huge empires of evil and build hidden bases, weapons of terrifying power drawing in superbrain scientists to do it. Their fatal flaw is their pride, they want to gloat to Bond about their achievements before they neutralise him forever.... As it happens I haven't finished watching this movie, but I'm hoping he saves the girls, all three of them and lives on to raise his daughter. But then he had this once before and the girls who was raised by the other "Spectre" refused to be saved (in a sinking Venice). And what does the franchise do to roll Bond/Craig over for a newer version in 2025? Thats too hard for my brain to solve.

So I see the patterns, I like the visuals and am doing my best to makes sense of it all. So its a puzzle and entertainment, horay for Bond.

Stalingrad (2013)

Six or Seven

[6/10 · 28 October 2021]

Quite liked this movie and very interested by this history, the whole struggle between Germany and Russia. I it hard to grasp the human cost of this war, the tens of millions dead on each side.

The movie had a strange quality to the pacing of it. Sometimes it was slomo action scenes with stabbings and shootings, burning soldiers, mortars and snipers.

Then very quickly changes to these very slow human interaction scenes which, though touching, they seem very detached from the realties of the war outside. Sometimes the Russian soldiers are fighting over names, petty loyalties, the girl Katya or who does what. Other times they are sharing stories and jokes, smoking and slumbering. Then it builds up again to some horrific action sequence. I couldn't quite get it, the pacing of the movie. I thought that between battles, soldiers would be doing chores like cooking, eating and drinking water, sleeping, sentry duty or lookout and gathering distributing ammo. A centre piece of the movie for me was the birthday party and hot bath for Katya. Again touch but not very believable in the context. Then again maybe that's what soldiers do??

Apart from Kahn, I thought the Germans were somewhat cartoonish, canon fodder in uniform. Especially so for the commanding general or whoever is always yelling at and disgusted with Kahn, or he's calling all Russians scum and filth. Other than that, I think the acting was really good, good characterisations Agree that this movie has really good visuals and a suitably happy tragic ending. Potentially a great movie but has chosen to focus on an idea of love instead of the gritty hard fought battle that Stalingrad was.

The Forgotten Battle (2020)

Top World War II Movie

[8/10 · 23 October 2021]

Yes was surprised and engaged by this movie, with many realistic layers to the story. Very touching in the human impact, brutal too in the battle scenes. Very good details. The glider pilot experiences everything from plane crashes to escaping enemy territory and the terrible trauma of battle.

Two lessons: not every German is evil, and if you are a civilian caught up in war take any opportunity to escape the danger zone. Too many Dutch perished in the cross fire.

Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

No Rest For The Wicked

[4/10 · 16 July 2021]

So let's imagine a world where killing for a living is virtuous and there is an honour creed among assassins. Let's imagine a city where one of their iconic domed classical buildings is in fact an arsenal where weapons are hidden inside large classical books like Little Women. And let's say that after all the shooting and killing, revenge hate slaughter and blood, the characters can easily walk away and go and have a nice holiday. Someone else will cleanup and there is no law to answer to. There's no PTSD or disfiguring injuries and certainly no remorse for killing all those nasty men in black jackets. If you like the idea of such a place, well this is the movie for you.

Free Solo (2018)

This is Special

[10/10 · 18 February 2021]

Pretty unique movie, and unique acheivement. But I would have to say very hard to watch someone climbing up some thing so impossibly hard to master. He climbs on virtually bare rock, spidery scetchy moves across hanging pitches, up overhangs, and shuffling up raw cracks. Looking at it, I cringed at the little nobs that he entrusted his life to, even knowing that he succeeds, its still hard to watch Alex do this. I expected him to be a nervous wreck at the end, but no he was all smiles, like that was fun. Even the camera men dangling looks terrifying. I totally identified with the camera man who could not watch some of the pitches for fear of seeing him fall. Gut wrenching. So all in all a good movie.

Horizon Line (2020)

Lots of Heart In Your Mouth Moments

[9/10 · 18 February 2021]

Really good story, delivering on thrills, narrow deliverances and palpable romance between the couple. It reminded me a little of the movie Adrift, which is a true story of a couple caught in a storm in the Eastern Pacific. Though I dont think it is possible to climb out on a wing like that, hey, it was a heroic plot moment. And yes people have run out of fuel over the sea and lived to tell about it, so well done, movie maker. CGI ok tho once or twice a little fake, like the crash scene. I liked the looking down into the sea thing. Ive done that in small planes while island hopping. The ocean looks very very big. Where did all that water come from?

The Midnight Sky (2020)

Big Heavy Space Movie

[6/10 · 18 February 2021]

Pretty good big story, big scenes, and very cool space scenes via CGI and other tricks. Really good acting too from everyone, nothing awkward or fake about the peoples reactions to one another. Of course its hard to get excited about a story coming after the total ruin of our planet, looking like all of humanity is going to just be swallowed up in a swirling mass. I few things kind of I noticed that I would write differently. First, what is the catastrophe. no one talks directly about that? Clooney to the astronauts "we didnt do a very good job of looking after the place....' So what did we do wrong exactly! The trailer Clooney and the girl are staying in, for no reason cracks through lake ice in the middle of the night. Then he goes for a swim in the subzero water, comes up and puts his jacket on dries out, in the middle of a serious blizzard. Superhero. Except he's got cancer. I mean really! Finally, the spaceship apparently has the resources to go back to the moon of Jupiter and start a new colony. Great idea, take as much human gene pool with you as you can. Except two of the four want to hop off on earth and die near their family and leave the other two to fly all the way to salvation on their own. I would have said, no we need you on board, you cant have the landing pod.But dramatically it looks like heroic hopeless loyalty, going home to die with your dead wife's remains, if you can find them. I noticed how there was no delay in the radio transmission conversations, like not even a second. But great story and thanks for the warning

Vivarium (2019)

Like Driving Full Speed Into Glue

[7/10 · 12 January 2021]

Liked it despite its quality of inescapable gloom. In one small way it is paradise, as advertised, in that they dont have to pay anything to be given their own home, and it is fully furnished. Furthermore no rent it charged, and every day they are given a box of food. Everything is taken care of. Just relax and spent your day relaxing even though there is no where to go and nothing to do. And that is the catch for these unfortunate hopefuls. The trap is spring and they cannot escape their cage, Vivarium or Yonder as it is called. I loved it, very quirky film with many surreal qualities. I liked the quirkyness of the salesman who uses every trick to get them to have a look at the house and suburb despite their serious doubts. Cant hurt to look can it? The "baby" looks like a gift, until it starts screaming. Not nice. What do you do with such a child. What to do if its an alien? Does the child have logic? I had hope that his digging would discover something. The body he found was revolting, of course. Why didnt they knock on other doors, or break in. Why didnt they discuss the nature of the trap/paradox? Setting fire to the house was a good idea, not that it worked. Finally she escapes down a "rabbit hole" after attempting to kill the alien. Ooo bad move, it turns out to be a descent into madness and despair, not good for her psyche or her health. There's a message there. Liked it but was disturbed by it. Yes it is a parable on life and the suburban trap. but also it hints at the evil spiritual realm that is around us all (christian world view). This is the nature of demons, and it reminded me of stories I have read of alien abductions and how manipulative aliens can be in these accounts. I found myself dereaming about it and brooding over it the next day. Good cinema, very good acting, too bad about the dead end. I believe life is more than this and has a way out.

Monsters of Man (2020)

Tense Thriller

[4/10 · 10 December 2020]

The young doctors are naive, fearful, screechy and annoying, but at least they are nice people, unlike the Drug Gang, and the CIA types. I was wishing for the doctors to shut up and get their emotions under control so they could survive. It takes about 10 minutes to learn this when deer stalking. Crying and yelling and pleading and whimpering and limping. Hurry up! Oh it took 2 days to figure out that they were tracking them by GPS in the stolen device---dumb for a Navy Seal. I liked the Terminator type robot. And I liked the Navy Seal and his Cambodian girlfriend. Noticeable how the amazing killer robots missed so many easy shots. Also, they were invulnerable to bullets.I would have expected dents and cracked camera lenses. I sort of felt for the civilian programmers caught up in this sordid affair and obliged to keep connecting and programming. They annoyed me too tho, very excitable and angry. I real terms there were not enough assets on the ground for the scope of this job. And as too the reality of these things. yes they will be monsters unleashed if they ever happen, and the real evil is in the people who see them as a necessity and use them. I note that the people who pilot drones over Iraq and Afganistan often suffer PTSD from the remote killing that they do, just like snipers do.