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Red Riding Hood (2011)
Numerical reviews here are foolish
This movie is certainly not a 2/10, nor is it a 9/10. Amanda Seyfried, medieval village in a forest, gothic-romantic retelling of a fairy tale--I was in for all those reasons and the movie held up pretty well for those expectations.
Amanda Seyfried's angelic beauty and grace carries her scenes. Her acting is good for what she was given. Gary Oldman was ridiculous -- his campy overacting added much needed energy. Julie Christie was the most refined and interesting.
I would have liked the romantic plot to be more developed. The writing and direction were below average. The CGI of the wolf was below average and the way he talked and his lines were cringy.
All in all, 5/10 is fair. I gave it a point higher because it gave me what I was going in for.
A Million Miles Away (2023)
Bland
A Million Miles Away is worth watching as it does have some important messages, although they aren't delivered in a compelling way. It took me three nights to watch it. Everything about this movie is bland: acting, storyline, dialogue, themes, pacing. Sad to say nothing hits hard emotionally or intellectually. The last scene with the real Jose Hernandez was the most interesting.
Michael Pena needs a shot of charisma and brain cells before each scene. I didn't buy that he was an engineer or NASA caliber. Maybe he was staying true to the personality of the real person, although he had the same characteristics in Jack Ryan.
This movie is like drinking iced tea on the porch on a hot summer day and watching tge leaves rustle in the wind. The movie's blandness is peaceful. Maybe that's why Amazon classifies it as spiritual. The fact that it's a space movie elevates it from a 6 to a 7.
Blade (1998)
Decent action movie
Good: Badass, moody Wesley Snipes; Kris Kristofferson (great character and acting); humor; it's a vampire movie.
Bad: the ancient, pure vampires are weaklings, which completely undermines the plot; the special effects; Stephen Dorff.
Wonder Woman (2017)
People rating this 7+ are delusional
The writing-dialogue, characterizations, motivations-is awful. It's evident within the first 5 minutes. These are decent actors, but they were given nothing to work with, so the direction is pointless. Even the special effects are bad. Gal Gator looks like a goddess, at least.
People rating this so high must have no experience with great works of cinema. This is mediocre-less, if you consider the budget.
The Batman (2022)
Not worth watching.
I kept wanting the movie to end, so I could do something else. I didn't care about any of the characters or the story. Bad/dumb: Emo Batman, Catgirl's acting and dialogue, Riddler's emotional screaming, lack of chemistry between Pattinson and Kravitz.
I had high hopes in the beginning when Batman confronts the gang members. That was the high point, unfortunately.
The Last Days on Mars (2013)
Underrated
At least an 8/10 for a sci-fi / horror movie. Acting, dialogue, character personalities and interactions, emotional impact of decisions, visuals and music (stunning). Coming from a scientist and science-fi enthusiast, all the science and character motivations were plausible.
Tenet (2020)
Worst Nolan
The acting, script, plot-this movie is just bad. This doesn't seem like a Nolan movie at all. The story is incomprehensible, due in part to the storytelling, but also to the mumbling actors. I had to read subtitles. I'd rather read a book.
I couldn't tell you the plot or motivations of any of the characters at any point in the movie, and I have no compulsion to watch it again. The characters are boring and the lead actor is a poor fit. The supporting actors are lousy, too. Pattinson and Branagh are great actors, but not here. The dialogue would fit a braindead summer action movie or random tv series. One last example of how stupid and cringey this movie is: the scene in the warehouse between Branagh and his wife, when she pulls the gun on him and talks about being a tiger. Lol. Then he fake spits on her and she spasms like she's hit with a taser. Lol. No way Nolan made this. There must be another Christopher Nolan making movies.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Mediocre Marvel/Superhero movie, worse considering the money invested
The overall idea of the multiverse and bringing together generations of Spider-man is brilliant, but there's an obvious lack of brainpower to flesh it out.
The movie starts off pretty slowly and goes on for a long time. I was not having a good feeling.
The movie went off the rails when Dr. Strange did the amnesia spell. No one's motivations really made any sense, from the villains to Spider-Man x 3. There were no interesting stakes and the multiverse theory had so many holes I couldn't get invested in any of it. Why don't Andrew Garfield and Toby McGuire want to get back to their universes immediately? Aren't they worried about what's happening there in their absence? Nope, they're fine to just hang out in this universe for however long the movie needs. Why are the super villains coming to this Spider-Man, in this universe and not any one of the infinite other universes? Why doesn't the amnesia spell traverse the multiverse, yet people can traverse it?
The movie consists of three basic parts, jumbled together: a lot of standing around with stupid dialogue and "humor" (the scene with obese kid's mom and the cobwebs), and action scenes and "emotional scenes" that don't connect. For example, Marisa Tomei is terrible; she doesn't exude wisdom or any genuine soul or emotion. Another example of the stupidity is the climax, where Dr. Strange is holding the portals closed (?) so other super villains can't get through, and tells Holland to say his goodbyes before the next amnesia spell. Well, Spider-Man takes his sweet time saying goodbye. There was never any real tension, nothing at stake, nothing made any sense.
I'm not a fan of Tom Holland, Zendaya, or the obese kid-their conversations, personalities, looks, and chemistry are just boring. There are no sparks between Holland and Zendaya (they're a real life couple?)-those two actors are not good actors, in my opinion. Andrew Garfield and Toby McGuire are very good, although their direction and lines are overly sappy-their acting and stories are enough to carry the emotional beats, if they were given more restrained lines and physical reactions.
Considering all the money and the talent that can buy, this was weakly executed. 6/10 is fair.
Man of Steel (2013)
Ok
The first half.is decent, although the scenes and dialogue are hammy. Surprisingly, Kevin Costner provides the best and most authentic acting. It's a shame this movie didn't have better creative people and producers; the wealth of acting talent is wasted.
The second half of the movie is an incoherent mess of disjointed plot and nonstop screaming and explosions. There's only some many times I need to see glass shatter and buildings crumble-I get the point. Apparently, this constitutes entertainment. I wasn't the least bit engaged intellectually or emotionally. A waste of two hours.
The Man in the High Castle: Fire from the Gods (2019)
Final episode and season 4 are outstanding
The acting, dialogues, and directing are superb. Rufus Sewell, Chela Horsdal, and Joel de la Fuente knock it out of the park in every scene. The supporting actors are in the same league. 10/10
The pacing, plot twists, atmosphere, character arcs, and production value (set design, costumes, backdrops) are 10/10.
The philosophical, moral, and sci-fi ideas (which largely come from the book) are 10/10.
Some of the plot lines and characters are less compelling, but that's to be expected in an ensemble show. 8/10
I don't understand the humans who rate the series/season/episode 8-10/10, but then knock it down to 4/10 because they don't understand or like the last two minutes. It's illogical.
A Place in the Sun (1951)
Good but not great
Liz Taylor is charismatic, charming, and beautiful (perfect); Shelly Winters is pathetic, depressing, and whiney (perfect); Montgomery Clift is dull and boring. I think he's my main problem with this movie. He doesn't have a dark, mysterious magnetism. He's boring and doesn't say anything remotely interesting when he does talk.
I also didn't buy the intense, love at first sight romance between Taylor and Clift; he doesn't sell it and there's nothing in the story that would stir up those kind of intense feelings.
TLDR; I didn't buy Clift or the fervent, undying love that is the engine of the story.
I haven't read the book, so I don't know how my critique maps onto the film vs the source material.
Westworld: Kiksuya (2018)
Superb
The acting (especially Zahn M), writing and music in this episode are superb. The episode came at a perfect time too, a contemplative break from the bloody chaos. We also get drawn into the existential horror of Akecheta's life and we learn more about the connections between many of the characters.