jrkdany Reviews

Half Nelson (2006)

Nothing happens.

[3/10 · 14 April 2024]

I like Ryan Gosling. There's something nice about him. The individual characters in this movie seem to be nice. Even supposed bad guys are nice. But the reason why I didn't like the movie was nothing much happens. Nothing's changed between the starting scene and the ending. We are left wondering "So that's it?".

If you like slow movies and scenes where nothing much happens you may like this movie. This movie also reminded me of Hugh Grants About a boy but that movie had some plot while this did not Also you will find the irritating hand camera work.. and I don't know why they use that technique.

No Hard Feelings (2023)

Not good

[3/10 · 7 April 2024]

I did not like it as most of the other reviewers here. None of this was believable. If this was supposed to be a comedy where we should leave our logic behind it does not qualify in that genre as well.

They show that JL and Kid become to close by the end of the movie but nothing in the movie actually leads to it.

They just have two meetings where she behaves like a psycho and then he plays the victim card and ta da they become thick as theives.

As expected the guy acts offended when he learns the truth and JL is ready to give her life to correct the mistake and we are supposed to cheer for them.

Gifted (2017)

Emotionless

[3/10 · 24 March 2024]

Watched this movie after looking at the plot and the rating. But I couldn't connect with the movie. Storywise the movie must be loaded with emotions but except for one scene where Mary is left with her foster parents all others are platonic. I was expecting some fireworks in the courtroom scenes but they were dull as well. The only thing I liked about this movie was Graces acting. She was awesome.

Chris Evans was wooden and the teacher role and the romance track felt forced. Robertas character same.

There was not a single moment where we felt connected to the movie. Wish it was better with such great team.

Drive My Car (2021)

Not my cup of tea

[3/10 · 3 March 2024]

I like slow dramas but this one neither had drama nor moved. Nothing happened in the entire 3 hours. I was just waiting for that Oscar worthy moment till the end without getting it. There are so many side characters each with some story which doesn't interest. There is a movie inside movie and i didn't like that either. There is story inside story and you listen to someone narrate for 5 minutes and it has no significance.

There are so many lengthy shots where nothing actually happens. If you remove all those scenes you can trim atleast 60 minutes.

I think I'm not intelligent enough to like this movie.

The Town (2010)

Overrated

[2/10 · 17 February 2024]

After reading the reviews I was getting ready for a good thriller drama but what we get is a non sensical movie. I was waiting to see how they would build the romance between the gangster and the bank staff but it just happens in one scene in a laundromat. It was unbelievable and every scene between them didn't work out. A bank manager falling for a stranger just like that.

The robbery scenes happens just like that. They keep shooting at cops all over the place and we hear no one got killed except one guard.

It was difficult to root for the main character as there was nothing they showed which made us care for him.

Just a shallow movie.

The Lost Daughter (2021)

Awful

[2/10 · 2 February 2024]

I chose to watch this movie expecting a intense drama and some good cinematography but it had neither. I had to watch it multiple sittings but it seemed like it went on and on. The scenes especially the flashback kept extending with no emotions. There was no one to root for in this movie. No likeable characters. Everyone looked like they had some secret.

Dakota Johnson looked beautiful but other than that there was nothing interesting. Despite having A list actors the movie does not elevate itself at any point. As others have said all the build up ended up with some lame ending. The doll scene and the insect which came out of the dolls mouth nothing made sense.

Men, Women & Children (2014)

Realistic

[8/10 · 29 September 2023]

When we watch movies made across the world one thing that we realize is human emotions remains the same. We are flawed people always looking for ways to be better. We keep failing but we don't stop. Some do stop but they are exceptions.

Up in the Air by Jason Reitman is a movie which we can watch again and again. It captured the human emotions beautifully we can relate to all the characters. Now on the same lines Men, Women & Children is a movie based on realism where we see people who are trying to better but we fail for various reasons.

The intentions are good but the way it is expressed most of the time is not right and it causes so much pain.

To escape from reality people try various avenues but none can give permanent peace of mind. We realize that only after the mistake. But important point is we realize. Does it mean we won't commit the mistake again? No we repeat the same mistakes. But the good part is always screaming within our head.

Sometimes the unanswered prayers or things we didn't get to buy or do are blessings in disguise.

Maggie (I) (2015)

What was the point?

[4/10 · 24 September 2023]

I was not expecting an action flick. I read the summary and knew what I was getting into by still I expected something interesting. We have seen so many movies where people with terminal illness saying goodbye to their loved ones. This movie is that except the illness is zombie.. I don't know if we needed to see that concept with zombie background. It felt unnecessary. There were no surprises we can almost see the ending and it travels in the path with no surprises. It's like taking the Jaws or The Meg movie and giving it a sentimental theme and making a 131 mins movie out of it. It ended up as neither an apocalyptic nor serious movie.

Smile (V) (2022)

Irritating

[3/10 · 22 July 2023]

Prime kept recommending this movie and after ignoring for a long time i took the bait. The most annoying thing about this movie is the acting. Everyone overacts. The lead does it effortlessly. I think it must come from the director because everyone does the same. As a thought the plot must have sounded great but execution of horrible. It has all the cliches of movies which claim they are intelligent horror movies.

I think they should make sequels and pass on the curse. The music always feels omnious and then will stop suddenly. The cat episode was highly predictable.

The only feeling it gave was irritation.

Fireproof (2008)

Beautiful

[8/10 · 15 July 2023]

I actually loved this movie. Everything was perfect. Yes there is religion in it and it plays an important part. It might put off some people but even if you keep that aside it makes a good movie. It was pleasant to see friendly supporting people all around. The movies also shows people who gossip/cheat so it does cover both sides of the coin but it does it nicely.

The world has always been selling there is nothing wrong in being promiscuous, lusting on something and it has materialized life. We are o used to that and feel everything is ok and nothing is wrong. But material things never brings happiness and sometimes it might be too late before we realize it.

We need more such movies which are pleasant to watch.

Bumperkleef (2019)

Dumb

[1/10 · 25 June 2023]

Road movies are my favorite and I fell for that and later regretted for watching this movie. Prime recommended this movie and I jumped into it. I am still waiting for movies where people make reasonable decisions but still end up in terrifying situations. That would actually make it more interesting. When people made dumb decisions like the two protagonists in this movie keep making it becomes difficult to root for them. The thing is everything happens within a city in broad daylight. At least other movies set it in deserted locales with no mobile connectivity. Here you are in the city center with a mobile and still you make dumb decisions. Avoid this.

The Mission (1986)

The Mission vs Silence

[5/10 · 24 May 2023]

I watched The Mission over the weekend and since I had watched Silence few weeks back I couldn't avoid the comparison between the two. While both of them deal with preaching Christianity to people who haven't heard about it, I felt Silence moved me more than The Mission.

Neither of the movies have a positive ending. While The Mission has lot of political plot but Silence was more direct about Christianity as a religion. Both movies were about how people stood by their faith in extreme situations.

The Mission had something more as it had a character who chooses what he chooses as a penance.

One reason why I found it difficult to connect with The Mission was because it felt more like a staged drama.

We have Robert De Niro, Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons but there is very less dialogue. When there is less dialogue the scenes should speak but for some reason I couldn't connect.

The ending of The Mission which is more or equally brutal as Silence does not evoke that feeling inside us.

The visuals though were extraordinary. They have done a great job and it must have been very difficult without CGI.

The movie had some great quotes and to quote some "If might is right, then love has no place in the world", "the dead live on in the memories of the living".

The soundtrack by Ennio Morricone was also not that impressive compared to his other outings but the music conveyed the ominous feeling.

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

Boring

[4/10 · 21 April 2023]

I wanted to watch at least one Evil Dead movie in the theatre as i had missed the others to watch in theatre. This movie was absolutely boring. It looked totally disjointed. I found the characters highly irritating and could not empathize with any of them. Everything looked forced. None of the scenes were scary. Just the swing scene in the original will give you the chills but here they have attempted a Hostel type gore movie. While i like Hostel i couldn't connect with this movie. Most of the characters were there just to get killed in uninteresting way. Even the earlier movie was good. This is waste of time.

Silence (I) (2016)

Brutal

[8/10 · 9 April 2023]

I have never seen a more brutal and powerful movie that compares to this. I have not even heard about this movie and came across it accidentally. It affected me in so many ways. Even if you remove the religious angle the way a person treats another person for having a different view shows to what extent we can go. Certain times I felt Andrew G did not fit the character but he nailed it. One of the movies where I cried in any places. It also shows how people held onto their faith even in the most difficult of times. One of the most important question we have daily 'Why is God silent' is raised more profoundly here.

Beast (I) (2022)

Assault on common sense

[2/10 · 6 January 2023]

I made the mistake of watching this after reading some good reviews here. The first 10 or 15 minutes is the only saving grace for this abomination. This should be in top 5 movies where the characters are stupid and annoying.

Elba goes in search of a poacher who he assumes must have been liked by the lion. He does this in the dead of night in the middle of a jungle where the lion is still out there. He walks through a lake in the dark where there were crocodiles as if he is walking from bedroom to bathroom. The ranger character who is supposed to be helping them becomes first victim by being dumb.

I'm surprised this is made by the same director who made Everest.

I remember watching another lion based movie called Prey which i felt was dumb but this gives a good competition for that.

Terrifier (2016)

Gory

[5/10 · 2 January 2023]

Movies with concept like this does not have to worry about something called story. You just have to figure our how you can bring in new characters and how you can finish them off. If the serial killer is shown as supernatural the movie becomes one sided. The victims never get an upper hand. While we do not know that in the beginning explicitly it can be guessed easily. So all we are left with to discuss is how the killer finishes off everyone. The movie doesn't hesitate to be brutal. There were many occasions where I had to close my eyes.

It starts very well and builds the atmosphere but then just becomes a gore fest.

Barbarian (2022)

Scary till we reach the ending

[7/10 · 22 December 2022]

There are some stories we build from an ending and this is one such movie. The writers had decided their aim was to make the viewers sympathize and they were able to do that to a large extent but we who were expecting a solid thriller were kind of disappointed. It was working as a great thriller and when it changes it's tone in the end it felt difficult to accept. While it was not a need ending the sudden change made it difficult to rate this as one of the best thrillers. IMDb now says i have to write more words. May be they want to reduce the number of people who wants to write reviews and have increased the word limit.

Bird Box (2018)

Awful

[1/10 · 20 November 2022]

A invisible monster which only has the power to make you commit suicide when you look in its direction (since it's invisible you cannot look at it). Oh yes it also has the power to perform mimicry You can dance around the monster screaming loud and with your eyes closed it cannot do anything. You can run around it and mock it with a blanket over your head it cannot to do anything. Absolutely awful movie. I cannot walk around my house with my eyes closed and they go through a forest and a rapid. Sandra Bullock and those two kids can be part of Marvel or DC universe fir their superpowers. The best part is they keep few birds in a shoe box and survive a fall in a rapid and all with blindfolded. There is a Sophie's Choice moment as well. Waste of time.

Private Life (2018)

Nice drama

[8/10 · 16 October 2022]

This movie picks one of the most delicate subject and creates a beautiful drama out of it. The problem the couple go through in this movie is a subject which people cannot express freely but yet so many people go through with it. Something's which happens naturally for most people doesn't happen that way for some. They go through hell. This movie does not over dramatise it but still manages to express the feelings. It engages you from first scene. Paul Giamatti, Kathryn Hahn, Kayli Carter everyone does a great job. Tamara Jenkins does a great job of direction. The ending is left vague which was beautiful.

Ad Astra (2019)

Bad

[2/10 · 25 September 2022]

The movie is bad in multiple levels. I'm not a science expert but still lot of things that was shown in the movie made me go meh. There is undersurface Lake in Mars but Mars remains like a desert. As one rightly said in another review this movie resembles the movie made by Willem Dafoe in the movie Beans Holiday. The monologues are the worst. I fast forwarded most of the movie and checked wiki if I had missed anything about the plot but looks like I did not. Also in the start a character accompanied Pitt and doesn't at much value. Absolute waste of time. I don't think we can compare this with Gravity. Gravity as a story worked well.

Before I Fall (2017)

Neither there nor here

[5/10 · 18 September 2022]

This is one such movie where we would not know whether we liked it or not. It is a movie which tries to say we should respect everyone's feelings. While the message is good I was expecting much more based on the reviews I read here. But there are no surprises you will be able to guess most of the things that happens. I couldn't guess the ending and felt that was a good one but it happens in 10 seconds for you have to sit through more than 90 mins to get there. The actors were good but there are the usual cliches. Like the bullies, bullied etc etc. Wow IMDB says the reviews needs to be 600 words.

Exists (2014)

Too Dark Literally

[2/10 · 1 September 2022]

I couldn't finish this movie. Most of the time it was dark nothing was visible. And all you can see it is through camcorder. They keep saying they heard some sound and turn the camera here and there. I don't think just by following Jaws footsteps of not showing the monster movies can become jaws. In woods you will hear noises. No point in showing some random woods shot and saying something moved there. At least do not use camcorders. There is also the usual irritating character who keeps mocking everything. I just hope Bigfoot took care of him. Blair Witch is done they should stop making movies on the similar lines as it gets annoying after few minutes.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)

Average

[5/10 · 18 June 2022]

I really liked the first part and liked the humor. The second one takes everything over the top. There is an overload of action and it almost looks comic and you are not interested what is happening. They have also made venom like a stand up comedian. The movie doesn't create interest at all.

American Honey (2016)

Directionless

[3/10 · 5 June 2022]

I watched this as it came with the tag Road movie. Yes it is a road movie and it does have some nice visuals and that's about it. It had the feel of Florida Project but not as good as that was. There was religion bashing. It is like the emperor is naked. Selling magazines !!

The Call (II) (2013)

Dumb Villain

[7/10 · 1 June 2022]

I cannot deny the fact that this movie kept me glued to the screen for it's runtime. There were certain scenes which were indeed made your heartbeat increase.

I am not sure if that is how a 911 call center will look like. At one point everyone seems to be busy taking calls and another moment they are just watching what Halley Berry is doing.

And this movie had one of the most stupid serial killer. He has kidnapped someone and put them inside the car trunk and he is driving like he is on a road trip while all hell is breaking lose in the trunk. Also someone has entered his bunker and he goes on with his job without even knowing there is an intruder.

Apart from some of these minor flaws it is indeed a good thriller.