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maximusallen
Reviews
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Entertaining but simplistic
Entertaining character study with terrific photography. But the writing and supporting performances can't match Day-Lewis's contribution.
The dramatic arc is relatively shallow for a 2.5 hour movie covering a 30 year time span and rival Paul Dano is borderline amateur. The third act is virtually unnecessary - after 15 years, none of the principal characters have changed.
Additionally, the impact of the climax is diminished by Daniel Plainview's previous murderous actions - there are no surprises after 150 minutes. Note to PT Anderson: a long runtime is not a substitute for complexity.
Tales from the Crypt: Report from the Grave (1996)
Worst episode of the worst season?
I love 'Tales from the Crypt', even the bad episodes. But this particular episode is bad in a way that even the most schlocky episodes aren't: it's confusing.
I have no idea what's happening in this episode or why. I don't know if it's the editing, the directing, or the writing that fail in this one but there's a scattershot of plot points that just don't connect.
Virtually every bad episode in seasons 1 through 6 errs on the side of predictability for sake of clarity. With few exceptions, this season (7) of British productions seems to miss the point of garishness over subtlety, the supernatural over sophistication, or of hamminess over Hamlet.
Team America: World Police (2004)
A Masterpiece for the Ages
This film is a masterpiece in almost every respect - the puppets and sets are amazing as is the writing, directing, and musical score.
Forget Quentin Tarantino, Woody Allen, or Michael Moore - Trey Parker and Matt Stone are true maverick filmmakers at the height of their careers and this is the film to prove it. By offending everyone with biting humor and doing it all with marionettes, Parker and Stone have established themselves as comedic film legends.
Politically, this movie isn't decidedly pro-Republican or pro-Democratic - it is, however, extremely anti-liberal as it (literally) blasts the inane antics of liberal Hollywood celebrities. It's very entertaining.
Their previous feature South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999) is a classic and I believe that Team America: World Police is just as good, if not better.
10 out of 10