charles000 Reviews

Black Swan (2010)

Wow . . . Black Swan is about as perfect as this type of story could be produced

[10/10 · 7 January 2024]

Wow . . . I mean seriously, wow! I've never been interested in ballet, but I do have a lot of respect for Natalie Portman, so I finally decided to give this a watch.

I don't think this entire production could possibly have been done any better, Black Swan is about as perfect as this type of story could be produced. You get pulled into the story as these characters emerge, really feeling like you're there, immersed into their world, and into Nina's (Natalie).

The way the camera follows her as she proceeds into the various threads of the story as they unfold, the atmosphere surrounding her, and how it begins to morph from the real into the surreal in gradual but accelerating increments.

Many of the other commenters already give detailed descriptions and critiques of the scenes, no need to repeat that here, except to suggest the casting really is spot on for everyone in this.

No spoilers here, of course, but even though the viewer might be able to guess how this ends, it doesn't matter, every moment is entirely impactful and engaging.

There's no superfluous moments in any of this, beginning to end. Even if you've never seen ballet before, one does come away with a profound understanding of and respect for the vast amount of effort and focus it takes to perform up to that top level.

It becomes quite believable that Nina would get obsessed into this pursuit, with her overbearing ballerina mother, living vicariously through her journey into this ultimate level of accomplishment, becoming the Swan Queen.

One thing that can be said with certainty, Natalie's work, effort and commitment to perfect her part in this is beyond impressive, any attempt at describing her portrayal of Nina would be an understatement.

I very rarely offer a 10 star rating, but without hesitation, that's exactly what comes to mind.

UFO (2018)

Remarkably well done, certainly more than the average 6.2 rating

[8/10 · 27 December 2023]

I remember when this event actually happened, one of the most credible UFO sighting events in recent history . . . And the truly weird mental gymnastics that were contrived to explain this away, as if this was just some odd combination of strange weather, a drone, and people imagining things.

The most interesting aspect of all this was how quickly it faded out of public attention and the mediasphere, a perfect example of how this type of phenomena remains hidden in plain sight. It is a good ending to the film . . . But maybe a bit overly optimistic. One can only hope there are some on the "inside" who are actually in this mode of recognition.

The production itself was remarkably well done, certainly far more than the average 6.2 rating. No fancy CGI, no wild chase or crash scenes, but a very compelling look at a possible rendering of the event and its surrounding circumstances (and others like it). Of course, I'm not going to include any spoilers here, but maybe the closest possible rough comparison might be Contact . . . Not nearly as much high drama, but the core concepts are there.

Gillian Anderson definitely fit the part as the mostly crusty, hardened mathematics professor, who revealed an inner spark of inspired epiphany a bit later in the story. The entire cast fit their parts well, this was a well thought out production.

This easily gets 8 stars. Perhaps it could have been more technically "polished" as a production, but it absolutely held its own as a quality story.

Escaping Twin Flames (2023)

Remarkably well done, captures the essence of this very dubious "self help / self love" cult business

[10/10 · 25 December 2023]

Remarkably well done, captures the essence of this very dubious "self help / self love" cult business enterprise, by following the threads of several "members" and their experiences.

The founders of this enterprise are slick, self promotional hucksters who have glommed onto the "Twin Flame" narrative and amplified it into their high priced "coaching" service business. As is so classic with types of operations, it starts off with Jeff, the cofounder, bragging about his $100K car and the beautiful area he lives in, etc., "not by selling get rich coaching sessions, but teaching others how to have beautiful (twin flame) relationships". To say that the Jeff & Shaleia are the absolute epitome of self absorbed douchebags with their contrived TF "get rich" scheme that they have marketed to the emotionally fragile and desperate would be a profound understatement.

Much credit goes to the producers for having shed light on this enterprise, through the lens of some who have actually experienced this first hand.

I personally became aware of the TF "movement" in a somewhat roundabout way. I had been participating with various Q&A topics on Quora, and somehow got plugged into the "twin flame" Q&A stream. It was not at all what I was usually interested in, but what got my attention was the range of seriously delusional TF fanatics, with their often emotional desperation to belong to something "important". It is intriguing, but also very sad.

These are sometimes young people (teenagers to mid 20s) who get absorbed into this general belief system, but it's the older people (mostly women), with money, who have been sucked into this vortex, clinging like barnacles to a rock, with their TF related dramas, often worried and panicking about their supposed TF partner not responding the way they're "supposed" to and so on.

The TFU (Twin Flame Universe) is the "perfect storm" of a vortex for harvesting these older, emotionally fragile people, who have money (lots of it), to pour into their classes and group participation activities. It has all the classic hallmarks of a "cult" enterprise . . . Separation from family and friends, becoming the "new family" of members joining in, their "mirror exercise", increasing pressure from the group to instigate their TF union with (fill in the blank), and so on, it's textbook cultism 101.

A bit of history, the TF movement actually started in the mid 1970s, along with many of the other new age trends and fads of the time. In particular, it's first real usage was in a cult-like group, lead by Elizabeth Clare Prophet, who chose which people should be coupled together because they were (deemed by her) to be "Twin Flames".

She and her entire flock of devotees eventually migrated out to her "religious" compound in Montana, which, in classic cultist fashion, required all the members to surrender their material wealth to the highly isolated community and its founder. She eventually passed away, and the inner workings of her enterprise became public knowledge, with many of its disillusioned original members breaking away, trying to recover from their experiences.

Later, the TF concept became a "thing", an emergent movement in the new age industry, with lots of books, promotional websites and videos, consultants and so on promoting this concept.

Jeff and Shaleia's TFU coaching business is just the latest, perhaps most commercially ambitious recent enterprise to glom onto this pseudo-spiritual movement, utilizing the standard cultist operations that are so typical in other such enterprises.

Much credit to the producers and Netflix for creating this production and having it presented on the NF platform. One can only wonder how many other parents, former family members, friends and so on have been confronted with someone close to them getting lost into this TF enterprise. Hopefully this can serve to offer some awareness and possible guidance in such scenarios.

I very rarely offer 10 stars on IMDB, but this production more than satisfies this rating.

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Perhaps for younger viewers, this seems like radical new content . . .

[6/10 · 13 December 2023]

Perhaps for younger viewers, this seems like radical new content and concept. But for the rest of us, well, this basic theme has been repeated, over and over again, with specific details modified to suit the current moment, but the core context remains . . . A looming (fill in the blank) threatens to drastically alter life as it was once known to be, perhaps the entire planet is at stake. A group of people, brought together under the circumstances, are huddled together at (fill in the blank), as they encounter and try to survive various dilemmas. The ending usually forks into either a "it's OK, life will go on", or a more ambiguous "what happened, what happens next?" dangling uncertainty.

Of course, there's not going to be any details of that ending shared here, but it's safe to say it leans much more toward that latter option. As for the actual production itself, it had its moments, but there were certain spots in the evolving story that just seemed like thrown in afterthoughts, a lot of the cliché' attributes so commonly associated with these types of conspiracy oriented stories were tossed in to make sure the usual stereotypical bases were covered.

Once in awhile, Netflix does manage to produce some genuinely compelling, unique content, but this is not such an example.

As I said, maybe this is new ground for the gen-Z crowd to generate inspired thought about these issues, but this is hardly new ground for anyone else viewing this production. It's not a terrible production, but it's not something to view again either. Somewhere between 5 and 6 stars, maybe. I'll be generous and offer 6 stars.

Black Mirror: Nosedive (2016) Season 3, Episode 1

Art preceding reality . . . maybe

[9/10 · 2 July 2023]

I first saw this in 2016 when it was just released. OK, sort of funny then, but also potentially real, maybe somewhere in the distant future.

Well, that "distant" future is here, now, in mid 2023, not that far off from reality at all, more like chillingly close. Of course, PRC (mainland China) has already probed this concept with their "social scoring" system, in which quite a variety of restrictions can be placed on someone who isn't behaving "correctly" . . . That's today, now.

The creators of this episode were remarkably close to expanding on what this might become, in the very near future. As it is, countless millions of people, especially younger people, live their lives, establish their worthiness via the images they can present in their virtual profiles and online chats. Their entire existence is a competitively measurable metric in their social media existence template.

This production is remarkably well made, the acting is completely spot on, and though ridiculously funny in some places (especially the ending), it's really too close to reality to simply write it off as quirky humor.

Definitely worth the time and emotional investment to watch . . . A solid 9 out of 10.

Black Mirror: Hang the DJ (2017) Season 4, Episode 4

Great story, a bit painful at first . . . but well worth watching to the end

[10/10 · 2 July 2023]

What's not clear is how how people get into the "pairing system" in the first place, or what the consequences of not "obeying the rules" consists of, other than "banishment". But beyond that, it's a great story, no matter how unlikely it might become possible in the real world . . . At least in current times.

Maybe in a future world of compressed time and high velocity social complexities, this sort of AI enhanced "social pairing" system might become a thing.

In any case, the moral of this story might be, the surface veneer of a circumstance can be far more than profoundly misleading. Of course, nary a hint at what the ending eventually becomes here, although there are some cleverly disguised hints lurking about in the story as it unfolds . . . But what can be said for certain, you will likely not guess what that ending is 'till it happens, and it won't disappoint.

Remarkably well acted, well worth the time to watch and experience.

One of the best ever presented in the Black Mirror series . . . 10 for 10.

Black Mirror: Arkangel (2017) Season 4, Episode 2

Helicopter parent meets future tech . . . on steriods

[9/10 · 1 July 2023]

In a not too implausible near future, as neural implants become more of a potential "thing" for implementation, new markets are explored, reaching into the murky world of parenting. It is here than an already neurotic mom incessantly worried bout any little thing her daughter might get into uses this new implant tech to hover and control every aspect of her existence. Gee, what could possibly go wrong?

Remarkably well acted, a truly unique approach to the general concept of what might be regarded as "neurological sovereignty", a topic which has been expanded upon in numerous sci-fi films, but noting quite like this. What makes this production interesting is that it's entirely relatable, not in some wildly futuristic fantasy world, but as a very down to earth "what would happen if" scenario, that many parents could readily identify with.

Some might argue that the tech portrayed is too unrealistic, this could "never happen". Well, maybe, but that's not really the message of the film. Some variations of this concept already exists in small increments, this is just a few layers above that. Interestingly, this "experimental" tech is eventually discontinued (no spoiler here), which in itself is a compelling statement of intrusive tech development progressing far ahead of its potential consequences being recognized.

Well acted and paced to keep the story compelling, but with subtle nuances woven into the main fabric of this production.

A very solid 9, this transcends the "usual suspects" type of neurotech centric sci-fi.

Black Mirror: Joan Is Awful (2023) Season 6, Episode 1

Absolutely brilliant . . .

[10/10 · 27 June 2023]

Where to even start? No spoilers here, which makes it a bit difficult to describe without some key details. Imagine for a moment, you're being sampled for (an involuntary) realtime drama depiction of your existence, which then gets put onto Netflix, reconstructed in near realtime, as CGI content, being streamed by everyone . . . Imagine being Joan, in "Joan is Awful", only maybe the new version is you, "(fill in the blank) is Awful".

But that's just barely scratching the surface of this quirky but very different sort of psych-drama with a twist, woven into a comedy, with character studies which go way beyond anything "Silicon Valley" could have dreamed up.

It has so many little hooks and hidden foibles lurking about in this twisted look into a possible not too distant future . . . Complete with quantum computers, alternate reality in a sort of uber metaverse, corporate media tech intrigues and their dubious characters . . .

OK, that's enough . . . As suggested earlier, trying to pry open this Pandora's box a bit further steps into questionable spoiler hinting territory, so can't go there, but really, the time invested for this very original concept piece will not be disappointing.

Secret Space UFOs: Fastwalkers (2023)

Interesting concept, great potential, but could have been more . . .

[6/10 · 24 May 2023]

I've actually studied the UFO phenomena for decades, it's a much more complex topic than most of the general public are aware of. I would suggest that 95% of myriad UFO cases that have been reported for decades do have terrestrial explanations, but it's that remaining 5% which are truly intriguing, and it's not unreasonable to consider extraterrestrial origins.

One of the long standing arguments against such UFOs actually existing is that they have never been seen in space. Well, actually they have, for years. It's this aspect of the phenomena the film focuses in on.

I had much hope for this, but the production seemed a bit, well, corny in places (especially the annoying music constantly playing in the background). It seemed to be trying too hard to be "hip" and cool, would have been better with a more mature, solid presentation of the most compelling examples and correlated info.

The various interviews are highly relevant, but could have been edited more effectively. Of course, I do admit to being very familiar with much of the content presented here.

Maybe for an audience that has no previous awareness of any of this, the production style is what better connects with that audience.

Interesting concept, great potential, but could have been more . . .

Having said that, I would still recommend seeing this, an appropriate introduction into this arena of UFO history intersecting with NASA and other agencies.

6 stars seems about right.

Monsters of Man (2020)

Much better than expected . . .

[8/10 · 22 December 2022]

The concept of military cyborgs, battle robots, hunter killer droids, all that has been done and redone, over and over, so going in I was just figuring another B grade stereotypical rehash, but actually, quite better than expected. This involves very seedy ongoings with CIA, dubious military tech companies, mercenaries, and some young doctors who happen to stumble into the wrong place at the wrong time . . . But there's actually much more going on. Set in Vietnam, many of the related underlying social layers and issues get illuminated in this fast paced, miltary tech gone very awry hunter killer adventure, but with more human interest aspects than what might be expected.

The casting and acting was exceptionally well done, it was all a good fit for what it was. No spoilers here, but the ending is, well, not what might usually be expected in such a story . . . And left a few questions dangling, but all in all, certainly worth the time to watch.

God's Country (II) (2022)

Very well done, but can be a harsh watch, captures a severe culture clash in a small town wilderness . . .

[9/10 · 24 September 2022]

To start with, Thandiwe Newton is amazing to watch, beautiful, intelligent but earthy, fits her part of Sandra about as perfectly as could be done. Having said that, however, this is a very well made production, but painful to watch in various moments of the story. No spoilers here, but ending hits with a punch, but is not exactly an "ending" either, but more like a portal into maybe darker times ahead.

The general concept is that it captures the severe culture clash between a woman college professor from the "big city" (New Orleans) vs. The remote wilderness country and myopic small town social politics. Though she's highly intelligent, she misses some fundamental social cues along the way, and creates a stir by her reactions to an event which could have been handled differently, and vey likely bypass the horrific fate she eventually found herself in.

There comes a moment, when she actually prevents a deadly confrontation among some other men, and they seem to respect that for a moment . . . But then. It's an interesting case study of different psyches pushed together in a highly awkward situation, and catalyzed by one particularly psychopathic loser in the bunch who manages to drastically magnify the fate that awaits the professor.

But that's not the end . . . Far from it, but is far as this description goes, no spoilers here.

There are actually several layers of backstory, and conflicting threads woven into this tapestry, far too elaborate to fit in here, but does make this much more of an experience than just the minimal description offered here.

I very rarely offer a 9 point rating, but this film is unique in its own ways, and yes, I could watch Thandiwe in just about anything, and that would be worth a few stars just for that.

Hell Behind the Bars (1984)

This is so ridiculous, it's a marvelous unintended comedy

[3/10 · 22 August 2022]

This is so ridiculous, it's a marvelous unintended comedy.

Lots of gratuitous lesbian sex tossed in at various intervals, and of course, the evil warden woman (who may be the sexiest of them all).

There is a "plot" here with this, but the acting and production style are so, well, lacking that it's more or less superfluous.

It's the classic C- low budget lesbians in jail movie . . . Complete with incredibly cheesy music, grainy low grade film quality, the entire production filmed in some old estate house, and a couple of waterfront scenes.

No spoilers here, though such would be irrelevant.

Strictly for weird comedy value, it might be worth a watch.

Jurassic World Dominion (2022)

Technically spectacular, but bit disappointing . . .

[6/10 · 26 June 2022]

Technically spectacular, but bit disappointing . . .

Visually, perhaps the best yet in the artform of bringing dinosaurs to life. No problem with the suspension of disbelief there, especially with the added details of feathers, and other such anatomically precise renderings.

But the story and acting, well, more than a bit disappointing.

It seems they were trying too hard to play up the nostalgia and humorous dialogue woven into this. As for generic family viewing, this really is more of a movie for kids, with the parents and adults getting their layers of content almost as more of an afterthought.

The one character that really stood out was DeWanda Wise's "Kayla", the gritty, been around the block a few times pilot who loves her flying machinery, and takes life as it comes.

The usual suspect crew from the previous films in the series gave the story continuity, but the "magic" just wasn't there. Not sure how to put this exactly, but it just seemed canned, forced, clicheic, to the point where you could tell what their next line was going to be long before they said it.

Isabella Sermon did as good a job as can be expected being the young "Maisie", trying to discover the real truth about who she is, where did she come from and so on.

The most unfortunate was Jeff Goldblum, who could have been given much better material to work with, but was cast in this very narrow caricature that he had to be confined to.

The actual story itself was a bit odd, not so much about dinosaurs living in a human world, but about the evil BioSyn corporation and swarms of giant locusts wreaking havoc upon the civilized world. I get the implications suggested, but it was more than a bit preachy, depicting the popular "woke" notion of evil biotech saturated with corruption and ill intent. The ending was Pollyannaish to an extreme, but again, aimed at kids for the most part.

This could have been so much more than what it turned out to be, but then again it could have also been worse.

If there is a next one of these, maybe they'll get it closer to what it could become.

Better Than Us (2018–2019)

Surprisingly well done, but seems a bit desperate for storyline near the end

[8/10 · 4 October 2021]

Surprisingly well done, but seems a bit desperate for storyline near the end.

It is similar to "Humans", but also different in its own ways, with its very distinctively Russian flavor.

Definitely a fun watch, with its collection of cliff hangers at the end of each episode. However, this is where it gets a bit long towards the end. It seems like they had to fill so many episodes with material, so the storyline gets a bit more drawn out, with evermore implausible "filler" substories woven in to keep it going.

I will, however, admit to binge watching some of the episodes, great for a slow Sunday evening.

Stylistic, well crafted, Russian sci-fi is usually different in its own particular ways, either terrible, or very well done. Fortunately, this series is in that latter category, though a bit long. This entire story could have easily been compressed into half as many episodes, but I know, that's not how the business works.

Anyway, it's much better than it might seem at first glance. Quite a range of productions have come out over the years depicting what the near future might become in the age of AI humanoids and all that. At best, whatever that future might be is likely to be a mix of these various depictions, but this particular version, with its intrigues and dubious characters, is probably pretty close to what the Russian version of this future might be.

This could have been 9 or even 10 stars, but I'll go with 8, being just a bit too long and drawn out with extra, distractingly irrelevant sub-stories tossed in to keep it going.

Detroit: Become Human (2018 Video Game)

Incredibly well done . . .

[10/10 · 20 September 2021]

I'm not even a gamer, but I was intrigued by the storyline, main characters and general concept, so I ventured in, not sure what to expect.

Everything was very well developed, the CGI and model rendering is top notch. It's amazing what can be created in current times in these realtime virtual environments.

What really stood out was the main character, and her determination to help the young child she bonds with. No spoilers here, so I can't really go into much detail, the short version being that a rift between humans and synthoids (my term for such) is accelerating, leading to a tense and dangerous situation.

The range of issues and societal questions brought to life here brings this game far ahead of the usual assortment of blowing things up and shooting things. Yes, there are a few scenes where that happens, but are in complete context with the story, not just gratuitous violence thrown in for effect. This is a "game" for thinking people.

Kudos to David Cage and the entire team who created this.

Radio Free Albemuth (2010)

One of the stranger films I've ever seen, and that's saying a lot.

[8/10 · 23 April 2021]

One of the stranger films I've ever seen, and that's saying a lot. That an attempt could even made to create this film wrapped around PKD's book deserves much credit, for even trying to make this work. Given what the director had to work with, within a very limited budget, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. This may not be for everyone, but for those who resonate with this type of story and implied content, this is definitely cult icon material.

For what it is, remarkably well done. Sort of a weird mix of 1984, ETs from another star system, and religion, compressed into political thriller with a philosophical message that may make sense to some, and be completely incomprehensible to others. This is not about flashy CGI (the effects are ridiculously low tech), the general ambiance is definitely low budget B grade production style. But that's not the point, in fact a more polished, high tech remake would actually detract from the qualities this obscure film actually offers.

If anything, seeing Alanis Morissette in this was a sort of odd side attraction, and they even managed to write her in singing a beautiful song, but her character was not supposed to be any sort of "singer" (explaining her part would be too close to a spoiler).

More than a bit outside the box, particularly the ending (no spoilers here), but certainly worth the time, to at least watch it once. Between 7 and 8 perhaps, but I'll go with an 8 for effort.

Black Mirror: Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too (2019) Season 5, Episode 3

Loved this! Was skeptical at first, but then . . .

[10/10 · 15 April 2021]

OK, I admit, I was more than a bit skeptical going in, a sci-fi comedy (not my favorite genre', in fact I don't even like that genre' at all usually) with Miley Cyrus, playing herself as a pop star with an attitude. Gee, what a concept.

But there was more going on here than initially met the eye . . .

The story is totally corny, but that's part of the beauty of it. So ridiculous, so silly, couldn't believe I was actually laughing out loud, falling out of my chair watching this entire production reeling from one escapade to the next.

The eccentric dad with his rodent numbing invention (that later becomes a critical component in this adventure . . . No spoilers here), racing through downtown LA in the rodentmobile truck with the giant furry ears (and matching furry steering wheel). There are so many absurd but amazingly well done cliches here.

The basic concept is Miley's character becoming an AI action figure bot (with some hidden secrets later to be revealed), the "real" organic Miley herself at the mercy of her evil witch manager monster, scheming and plotting, and tries to get her way with a truly diabolical plan . . . But then . . .

Anyway, all the characters (especially the two teenage sisters) were delightfully well done, and even Miley pulled it off much better than expected.

I could go with various little vignettes, woven together into this silly episode, but there is some real good vs. Evil messaging in here, the complexities of family dynamics (single dad trying his best to navigate the uncertain waters of raising two teenage daughters) and more than a glimpse into the darker corners of the pop music business world which were not at al entirely fictional.

Anyway, I'm already a devoted fan of the entire Black Mirror series, but this episode really stood out as being much more entertaining than I was expecting. I'll have to give it a 10, just because it was so far outside the usual BM box and ridiculous, but in a good way.

Chrome (2020– )

More like a video artpiece, rather than an actual "story" . . .

[3/10 · 28 September 2020]

Well . . . Visually interesting, more like a video artpiece, the sort of thing that would look great at a party, stage background for a band, that sort of thing. Unique stylized look, somewhat like a hybrid mutation of Ghost in the Shell, but with a very different story line As for an actual story, with a coherent plot and credible dialogue, that may leave more than a bit to be desired. Based on that criteria, this would be below zero status if possible, but strictly as a visual art montage . . . some credible work went into this, at least a five or a six for visual effort. Averaging those out together, three would be a fair rating. This can be entertaining, depending on what one is looking for.

Electric Dreams (2017–2018)

Episodes that can stand the test of time . . .

[10/10 · 26 September 2020]

I recall having watched these a few years ago, but just now had the opportunity to see them again. Some here have commented on the sometimes precarious efforts to reconstruct stories into film, but I ventured into these episodes with no such comparative reference in mind, I simply wanted to experience them as stand alone events. Well crafted, each one of these has their own unique story and setting, the most intriguing perhaps being the Commuter, but Crazy Diamond and Real Life are very close seconds. Glimpses into the future presented as backdrops for the actual stories, but were not intended to flood these productions with obsessive CGI content. These are very much human stories, that happen to occur in somewhat different timescapes, episodes that very likely stand the test of time, being just as compelling years ahead into the future as they are now. Some of these productions may have been a little bit over the top delivering their political message (Kill All Others and Real Life being the most extreme), but eerily relevant today, given current political climate and chaos that is fomenting around us. In any case, this is one of those rare moments when I offer 10 out of 10, and then some. This is not big crash bang action CGI sci-fi . . . not even remotely. If that happens to be your usual style of interest, you might be disappointed. But if something more thought provoking, wrapped around characters and circumstances that one can connect with, sci-fi for adults as it were, these episodes are very much worth the time to experience them.

My Daughter's Secret Life (2001 TV Movie)

Surprisingly well done

[8/10 · 1 July 2019]

Some aspects of this reminded me of the film "21", but this is very much its own story. Of course, I have to admit watching Elisha in this production was its own entertainment, but beyond that this was a reasonably realistic look at the dark side of gambling among highschool kids in the proverbial affluent neighborhood . . . an all too real dilemma that many have faced in real life.

For some, at least, gambling really is an addiction, just as powerful as any drug. I've never been afflicted with it myself, so for quite some time I had difficulty understanding or believing this. But then I saw this happening, witnessed first hand how compelling the grip of this addiction really can be.

Given that background, I could actually watch this production and had no trouble at all believing the story and characters portrayed. For an obscure made for TV Canadian film, this was surprisingly well done.

Other gambling themed films have mostly been over the top, absurdly over done portrayals of this life, but Lucky Girl was pretty much spot on, perhaps the best yet bringing this concept to life. Of course, I'm not going to hint at how this ends, but it's not what most viewers would probably expect, it's a bit closer to actual reality.

Sometimes the best dramas with a message get hidden away in obscurity, this may be just such an example. I can be good with 8 stars.

Altered Carbon (2018–2020)

I doubt anyone will lament the time spent to watch this.

[10/10 · 20 June 2019]

Remarkably well done. I ventured into this production not really knowing what to expect, there was no preconceived vision of what this should be, or adapted from. Are there some vignettes that are so far out into the fringe, that suspension of disbelief is simply not possible? Yes . . . I'm not going to describe those particular scenes as such might be interpreted as spoilers.

But, even with those fringy parts injected every so often, the overall concept parallels much of what the current transhumanist culture cites as elements of an inevitable future world; consciousness injected into recycled human "skins", AI avatar nano-entities, co-evolution with the enhanced quasi humanoids, and so on.

Is this production perfect? No, of course not. But is it interesting and entertaining to watch and experience? Absolutely yes.

As for the production quality, definitely first rate. This is a big budget production, as the quality of the sets, visuals and CGI clearly indicate. At the very least, just as a visual art piece, this is something to look at. The world building template that this story evolves into is richly constructed and detailed.

Some might argue a bit on the quality of the script writing in some of these scenes, perhaps in the context of taste, as what fits well for some viewers may be unsatisfactory for others, but I had no such troubles with this. The story and its myriad subplots moves quickly, there isn't much filler or dead space content, as is often the dilemma facing other episodic productions.

Even if you're not a sci-fi fan per se' there is enough here which goes far beyond the boundaries of that particular definition to be thoroughly engaging. This is a high end risky venture, which could have turned out badly (as other such episodic sci-fi productions have), but in this case they pretty much got it right. At the very least, a lot of credit for even attempting such a production.

The casting is superb, but if I had to pick a "favorite" from this crew, that would have to be Dichen Lachman. She is remarkably unique, has a presence you will notice immediately as she enters her first scene, and that memory will last long after you've watched this entire series.

I could go on, but the short version is, this deserves 10 stars, which is a rating I very rarely grant any production. Partly for quality of production and thematic content, and partly for the effort it took to create such an unusual and risky production, and actually have it work.

I doubt anyone will lament the time spent to watch this.

Alien Warfare (2019)

How did this ever get funded as a production project?

[1/10 · 2 May 2019]

I was curious enough to see what could possibly be bad enough to warrant such consistently horrendous ratings. OK, curiosity satisfied . . .

So . . . the question that comes to mind is, how did this ever get funded as a production project?

Seriously, this is so absurdly bad in every possible way such a thing could be evaluated, I just have to wonder.

There are lots of scripts out there, directors, actors and production teams who dream of having the chance to get their project funded, some worse than others, some with genuine merit; many truly interesting indie productions have been spawned from such humble beginnings . . . but even in that comparison, this is below the bottom of the barrel.

OK, I couldn't even watch the entire thing, it was just too embarrassingly painful.

In a way, I was hoping this could at least become the new "Plan 9 From Outer Space" for the 21st century, but no, doesn't even rate that status.

Sorry . . . if zero (or negative) stars was an option, that would be my choice, but OK, one star will have to do.

Scenic Route (2013)

Interesting up to a point, but a bit too long, overly dramatized . . .

[5/10 · 28 April 2019]

Yes, I know, this is supposed to a sophisticated character study, with an endless cacophony deep dialogue . . . a philosophical journey traversing the uncertain terrain of the human condition, as extruded through the mandrel of the two primary characters in the film.

This is one those productions shot with an extremely low budget, but relied on the aforementioned deep dialogue to carry the story to its intended fruition.

Given that criteria, the acting really was quite well done, which would theoretically propel this production to spectacular experiential status. Unfortunately, it never quite got there.

It just got old after awhile. I get it, we were supposed to enthralled by the endless deep dialogue, delving into the dark corners of the human condition, impressed with the sophisticated delivery by the two main characters and so on.

But unfortunately, that's not what happened here. This entire production could have easily been shortened down to about half of its length, and likely would render a better version of this story.

Part of the problem with this is that I just couldn't relate to either of the two characters being portrayed here, but especially "Carter". Crazy emotional outbursts, mired in layers psychodrama, we were supposed to be swept up into this emotional maelstrom. Especially toward the end, the "big message" was simplistically dished up on a platter.

I suppose for some of the commentators here, this all seems like some radically new concept piece to be explored and pondered upon. Truth of the matter, though, is that this is not new anything. The premise of this story is woven into a tapestry of cliches all too familiar with myriad other films along the same lines.

Was it a terrible production? No, for what it is, there's enough here to justify the 90 minutes consumed by watching it.

However, would I be watching this again? No, once is enough.

5 stars seems about right for this one.

Nighthawks (2009)

wrong video with the title

[9 April 2019]

I don't know where else to submit this, but the video that is posted here is for a virtual reality documentary, completely unrelated to the title "NightHawks" (Nschtraven).

Little Fish (2005)

Interesting slice of life snapshot of reality . . .

[7/10 · 23 March 2019]

I liked this film, very much, but I will also have to admit my bias. The sole reason I began watching was really because of Cate Blanchett, who I could watch in virtually anything, and not regret the time spent doing so.

Having said that, once I got started in this production, it did pull me in to see how the various subplots turned out, and of course, to find out what the fate of Cate's character (Tracy) would eventually become.

This is not a flashy film, nor are there super elevated tense moments punctuating the story, as is so common with many productions of this genre', but rather an evolving character study of Tracy's relationships and circumstances in her life, which come to light at various junctures like pieces of a puzzle assembling the whole picture.

There's much going on, with the present and past family dynamics which shape the circumstances Tracy finds herself in, and her ultimate choice of desperation to fulfill an otherwise unresolvable goal she is aiming at, and the consequences of where that choice is leading her.

Hers is a life of previous drug addiction, and other various troubles she got herself into, and the people around her who emerge from similar backgrounds, some now past that point, but others still submerged in that dark canyon.

It's a bit difficult to describe this story in any greater detail without accidentally opening up any spoilers, so I'll just have to leave my description as it is.

However, my suggestion would be that this is a film worth seeing . . . it might seem a bit slow at first, but as the different layers of intrigue and emergent back stories explaining the various character's current circumstances become apparent, you might find this as interesting as I did.

I was somewhat stuck between 6 and 7 stars, but will give benefit of a doubt here with 7 stars.