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Hot Summer Nights (2017)
Life choices
This isn't a teen movie at all; it's about the life choices we make as foolish young adults.
To be honest, I didn't know what to expect of this movie, and since I had nothing better to do I sat right through it, initially expecting to be bored out of my wits within the first few minutes; however, I was pleasantly surprised.
Although it started off a little slow, it very quickly picked up the pace and turned into quite an interesting story about a young boring teenager coming of age with a bang.
A simple life choice turned into an epic summer adventure that, I am sure, would define his life forever after.
We all go through this at a certain point of our lives; so, I kind of believe that this movie serves as a warning to us to really be careful of how we approach our insecurities and desires to move up in life. And although we all make very stupid choices as youngsters, avoiding disastrous consequences can be done.
So this movie is about how your choices, if not properly thought out, can make your life spiral out of control.
Think before you act.
Designated Survivor (2016)
Starts off good, but ...
The idea is good, and is shown in the first episode, then it stays ok for a few episodes, but then it's all downhill hill from there.
Skip to the last episode of the last season where a woman, who's fiancé cheated on her with her colleague/friend, actually apologised to said colleague/friend for treating her coldly after she found out about her fiancé's and her friend's hookup; yeah right! For some reason that made me angry! But that anger was bottling up ever since the beginning of season 2.
However, Kiefer Sutherland was good, to be honest.
And if you want to see what goes on in the White House, I suggest the first three seasons of House Of Cards, regardless of how you feel about Kevin Spacey.
I know, my review is silly!
The Blacklist (2013)
James Spader is brilliant, Megan Boone ... meh!
Well, I started off by prematurely giving this a 9 out of 10, solely based on the merit of the first episode, only quickly to downgrade it to a 7. Don't get me wrong; James Spader is brilliant, as usual, and I've been a fan of his since he appeared in his very first movie because his charisma is just off the charts and his acting is always a pleasure to watch.
The problem is Megan Boone! She always seems to be either dazed and confused, sad, on the verge of crying, or actually crying! In the beginning I thought that this was the case because it was the first episode, and that her character, and that she had no idea what was happening yet, but would pull herself together as the season progressed; however, by the fifth or sixth episode in season one, she was actually getting worse. Granted, the events were pretty intense, but you think that she'd get a grip as things progressed ... well ... not happening.
Furthermore, the reactions of her superiors were always the same: Spader's character would make a suggestion, they reply "that's not gonna happen," and seconds later they succumb to his wishes.
It's still quite a good show, but you have to understand that Spader carries it by himself, and there are too many characters that add absolutely nothing to this show, and it is actually the people that they are after, i.e., those on his blacklist, that add a little spice to the show, and not the supporting cast.
That said, the stories are often quite good and that, with what I said about Spader and the criminals on his blacklist are what are sustaining me through this.
I just hope it improves a little because this could be a real kickass thing.
Rurôni Kenshin: Sai shûshô - The Final (2021)
The most beautiful series of movies ever!
This review is not about this movie only, but it's about the whole series of the 5 Ruroni Kenshin movies.
First off, the story, from beginning to end, is fantastic. It's well told, well layered, coherent, exciting, and all-in-all simply wonderful; and it's about the struggle of one man facing his brutal, murderous past and all the demons that tormented him on his path to redemption. And to be honest, I'd rather not include any spoilers whatsoever because this series deserves to be seen without any expectations other than mentioning that you will be watching something major. However, I will say this: I watched the series in chronological order; that is, I began with "The Beginning " which was produced in 2021, and then watched the others in order with the second one being produced 2012, and it worked great. You can either do the same or watch them in the order of production date; either way works well.
I already mentioned that the story is fabulous from beginning to end; so, I'd like to talk about some other aspects of the production.
Well, the cinematography is spectacular. It creates a great mood throughout. The acting is amazing and the actors really do bring the characters to life, keeping each and every character true to themselves till the very end. Not once does any of the characters do anything out of character, even when they are truly desperate for change, and each one of them is colourful and unique and well thought out. This series also includes a few of the greatest villains I have ever seen in film, and although all of the villains are basically trying to achieve the same goal, each one approaches it in their own unique way, keeping you on the edge, never knowing what to expect next.
The fighting sequences are brilliant and the build up to them keeps you revelling in anticipation.
The direction is masterful and each shot can be frozen into a painting; simply exquisite. The same can be said for the editing as well as the use of visual effects.
Lately, I find myself watching more and more Korean and Japanese movies. They really are giving Hollywood a run for their money; in fact, I believe that they have already taken over world cinema and are on their way to do similarly well in many areas of the arts. It's actually almost guaranteed that any movie you watch from either of these two countries will be good; yet I struggle to find a good American movie these days. I guess the Far Eastern philosophy in their approach to life suits my character more because it's all about dignity and integrity, and I love that.
So watch these five movies and I promise you won't be disappointed.
Lost in Translation (2003)
Relaxed vibe ...
This is a very cool movie! You kind of have to be in a certain mental zone to truly appreciate it. I can't quite put my finger on it, but you have to experience it to know what I mean.
Just a brief description: it's about two people stuck in Tokyo for different reasons, both suffering from intense insomnia. They find each other and a very unlikely romance begins. It's not shoved in your face, nor is it pretentious.
What is cool about it is that you linger with them as an observer. You feel their desperation, and genuinely hope they can get through this experience in one piece.
The two characters are quite unsuited to each other. He is a middle-aged movie star who can't stand where his life is at right now and she is a young, recent graduate of philosophy who can't exactly figure out what she wants to do in life. She is accompanying her photographer husband who has a job to do in Tokyo for a short time, and he leaves her to deal with Tokyo while he does his job.
The romance is very subtle. You don't know if it's even a romance or not until the very end when it's time for him to leave.
All-in-all, a great movie. Beautifully written and directed, as well as acted.
A must see.
Two Distant Strangers (2020)
Why? What's the point?
The theme of waking up the same day over and over has been done too many times. At least with Edge Of Tomorrow they give you a perfect explanation as to why it's happening. In this short movie, like Groundhog Day and Russian Doll, it doesn't.
So what purpose does it serve? It's just a piece of negative propaganda tackling police brutality and race. Nothing new is given to us; however it is short enough to remain entertaining.
Watch it if you have nothing better to do.
Anatomy of a Scandal (2022)
Bad ending.
What I don't understand is that the wife was willing to destroy her husband's career, and thus her family; and, bring down the whole government, and all in the name of "truth." Yet, she did not bring up the truth of her old university buddy prosecuting the case which is an unethical act because of the fact that this same buddy was assaulted by her husband and may appear to be seeking revenge; an act that would have had her sacked.
If truth was so important to her then why did she not go for the whole truth? Why did she spare her old friend? To be honest I found that a bit weak.
It's a shame really because I was enjoying it right until the very end when this slip-up changed my whole view of it.
Vinyl (2016)
Why pull the plug on this?
This was an awesome series. It really shows you how a hustler lives his life. Always on the edge of both great success and catastrophic failure; it's fast paced, full of great characters, great dialogue, a great story, compelling acting, and of course, fabulous music. Why they discontinued it, I shall never know. More importantly, to me, it shows you just how different the music business is from the movie business.
Bobby Cannavale is excellent in his role as the creator and manager of a music company in the colourful 70's. I always found him very interesting and in this series he finally arrives to take charge. His character is very cool and composed, but only on the surface. In reality, he is a nervous wreck of a drug addicted hustler, always short of the much needed cash to run his company. And it is he that blows away the cash because of his compulsive ways. And furthermore, he's always on the verge of signing someone great to his label, but there's always a twist that makes him end up hustling even more vigorously for survival. I find myself having mixed feelings all the time; I am constantly routing for him, but at the same time waiting for his next mess-up.
Why they decided to abandon this project, I will never know! The last episode was a perfect end to a season, as well as a great start to the next. I, and almost everyone I talked to about this series, would have watched a second and a third season happily.
PEN15 (2019)
30+ year olds do not look like teenagers.
The moment I saw the lead actresses I switched off. Get teenagers to act the roles of teenagers; they don't have to be 15 - they can be 18 or 19. But to see these two women trying to act young is rediculous.
No.
Predestination (2014)
Brilliant story, badly executed.
The story is great. The twists and turns it takes are incredible, and what you find out in the end is just amazing. Yet, I just didn't find myself going wow!
I think the story should have been exploited better. The makers of the movie should have gone all-in. They didn't. And although I am a fan of Ethan Hawke, I really don't think he aced it this time. And as for Sarah Snook, well, I found her very unlikable from the very beginning, which made me very unsympathetic to her her dilemma from the start. Unfortunately, I didn't like the setting, the characters, but what kept me going was just how compelling the story was.
Ironically, I will recommend it, if only for the sheer brilliance of the story.
Jackie Brown (1997)
Underrated masterpiece.
What I find truly compelling about this work of art is that in the centre of it is an interracial romance between two very unlikely characters; a black, washed up air stewardess in her mid-to-late forties, and a white, washed up bail bondsman in his late fifties. Both are tired of their jobs and are looking for the right moment to get out.
Now, in every single movie I have seen that included interracial romance, it is quite obvious that interracial romance is an issue that they needed to tackle; but not Jackie Brown. In Jackie Brown it happened so naturally and smoothly to the point you just accept it. The chemistry between Jackie Brown and Max Cherry is rare, yet, not in the slightest bit overdone. Their age and maturity play a decisive role. It is not shoved in our faces as it usually is when trying to deal with interracial romance.
Tarantino is a master at fully addressing the issue of race without offending. In all his movies there is a lot of racial vulgarity, yet we all look past it. We accept it because he includes it for what it really is.
All the other characters in Jackie Brown are also so, so well defined. It's like this movie is a major study in the nature and character of people. Of course, each and every one of the actors is perfect. They all bounce off of each other's energy and the plot provides the perfect medium for that. Yes, the plot is fantastic. Simple enough as a general idea, yet full of complex little details to provide you with something to think about throughout.
Jackie Brown, to me, is one of the most underrated movies ever. It's brilliant.
House of Cards (2013)
Mixed feelings!
The first two seasons of House Of Cards were phenomenal; simply spectacular and sensational. It gave me an insight of something I've always wanted to be able to observe, that is: how do people in the very top of the food chain speak and act? It gave me an insight on how real power works.
The only problem was, and it wasn't that apparent from the very beginning, that it was Kevin Spacey's show, and only his; everyone else was his rag doll. No one was relevant! Not even Robin Wright who was becoming more annoying by every season.
The Jackie Sharp and Heather Dunbar actresses were also very unlikeable, and I don't mean their characters; no, I mean them as persons; they just don't cut it for me.
By the fourth season I was simply fast forwarding as soon as Spacey was not in the scene. By the fifth, I wasn't even interested anymore. What started off as a monster of a show, slowly began fizzling into a poor attempt at making money. Why they even bothered when Spacey was fired, I will never ever ever understand. It was laughable.
When the show started off and I learnt that was going to be 13 episodes per season, what I imagined was that the whole series would end up being four seasons, each 13 episodes, to end up totalling 52 episodes, i.e., a deck of cards. I was wrong! They didn't even have the creative insight to pull off something like this.
What a shame! This could have been the best show ever.
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
Beautiful!
I love dialogue, so naturally this movie satisfies me beyond. And yes, the acting is phenomenal for a movie made in the 60s. I guess that's what you get when you have two of the most celebrated actors in history; in fact, both Tracy and Hepburn were considered the best actors ever by many of their peers, and in this movie you will know why.
Now, back to the dialogue! You see, back in the 60s, an interracial marriage was inconceivable. And here you are faced with just that. A young black man, his white wife-to-be, both their parents, a priest (white parents' best friend), and their maid are all forced into a situation where the outcome must be discussed and a decision about the whole idea of the marriage must be reached within about 4-5 hours. What results is a kaleidoscope of intense dialogue that basically covers all the angles, taking place between all the participants in small groups at first, and then one-on-ones culminating in a masterfully delivered soliloquy that just melts the heart.
It is quite rare to see such beauty in film. If you haven't seen it, I beg you, do so.
Simply beautiful.
Slaughter High (1986)
So, so, so bad!!!
Well, yes, I gave it a 10-out-of-10 for one reason, and one reason only: I went to St. Marylebone Grammar School from 1976-1980. It shut down in 1981 or 2. So, although the movie is absolutely horrible, I had to give it a 10 ... sorry about that 😂
Gravity (2013)
Shame on you! Utter rubbish!
For a movie by the name of Gravity, you expect them to get the physics right; but no.
When he was about to fly off into space, her foot was held by a chord which kept her from floating away from the station, AND, she had a chord in her hand which he was also holding. All she had to do was give a very slight tug towards herself and he would have moved towards her; YET: there was something pulling him away from her!!!!! HOW? WHY? They were stationary, so no forces were acting on them to separate them. This is SPACE! Remember space? Weightlessness?!
Then he needlessly floats off to space and she spends the entire movie, alone, trying to survive.
SHAME ON YOU!
Had they called the movie anything but Gravity, I might have forgiven them, but NO! They had to call it that!
Pathetic.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Perfection ... sheer perfection!
Not one movie can claim to have half the entertaining dialogue that this movie has. From beginning to end, not one word is out of place, or boring. Many movies may have one piece of dialogue that elevates the movie enough for you to like it, but Pulp Fiction is sheer joy of conversation, paired with situation after situation of pure excitement.
I am sure I will never seen a movie that will be this much fun again! In fact, this movie alone has convinced me that Tarantino has to be the greatest movie maker of all time. This is my go to movie when I can't make up my mind what to watch; I am guaranteed satisfaction!
The movie has no plot! It is a collection of out-of-sequence stories that make up the last few days of the life of a hit man, played by Travolta. That's it! He and his partner are simply taking care of an errand and it goes wrong, while he also has to take his boss's wife out for dinner to keep her entertained while he (the boss) goes out of town for the night. That, too, goes wrong. Every single thing in that movie just goes horribly wrong and it's just fabulous.
The acting is compelling. The cinematography is masterful and just sets a nostalgic mood that makes you want to return to. The direction is ... oh well ... Tarantino. And the dialogue is the best ever. Really.
Please see it.
The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)
Thoroughly intense!
If there's one word to describe this movie, that word would be "intense."
It really is an intense movie! Not in an action style, nor suspenseful; no, it's just that all the characters are really intense people; they really are, and although the movie slows down in several parts, the acting keeps you glued to it.
This is a movie about the lives of two very unlikable people, and how events keep them related although one of them no longer lives. Their families are also unlikable, especially their kids. Yet, they are intensely attractive and the two boys that played the parts are more than great. DeHaan is spectacular. He plays the young man destined to be an outcast, yet he endorses his life with such dignity, it's almost heartbreaking.
This is probably one of the most underrated movies ever; watch it.
Youth (2015)
Simply beautiful ...
This is a movie for older people; if you're still trying to find out who you are, then don't watch it.
This movie doesn't have clever dialogue, fantastic cinematography, or anything that makes a movie great! What it does have is that it just resonates. That's it, really. And some great acting and some not so bad music and spectacular scenery.
L.A. Confidential (1997)
A masterpiece of storytelling ...
I have seen so many reviews tell people what this movie is about; they are all wrong! This movie is simply about how a corrupt police force bids to take over a criminal empire after the emperor is sent to prison; the emperor being the infamous Mickey Cohen. Their clever efforts are muffled by three very different, intensely smart cops that were considered to be their friends.
A piece of advice: concentrate! Don't wonder off to the toilet or kitchen without rewinding when you get back! Every single word in this highly complex story counts.
This is by far the best cop thriller ever made. The characters are just exploding with, well ... character! And although the two main characters start out by unquestionably hating what each other stand for, by the end they fully understand and respect one another regardless of the fact that they had wronged each other irreversibly.
The cinematography is outrageous, the mood electrifying and the dialogue is cutthroat.
I believe the only reason this movie isn't among the top 10 of all time is that it is too complex. Many people will miss much of it until they have watched at least three times, if not more.
Enjoy.
Westworld: Kiksuya (2018)
Single-most best hour of television that ever existed!
This is, by far, the best hour of television that was ever produced; ever! The writing is perfect, the acting is compelling and everything about it just clicks right into place, perfectly. I am not a fan of voiceovers, but in this specific part of the story, it completes it. This episode was so touching and sincere that I find it difficult to imagine what is going to happen next! How will they keep this story going without dropping a couple of bars. And what I find also quite amazing is that this part of the story did not involve any of the main characters; it was a side-story. Yet, it truly exemplified the essence of this fabulous series. In fact, this episode alone saves season 2. If I was to vote for one single piece of content to show to aliens what humanity has achieved in the arts, this would be it. Shear perfection.
Begin Again (2013)
The only reason I don't give it a 10
Is because I reserve 10s for huge productions! Yes, I am biased!
It is a great movie if you're looking to lift up your spirits! If you want a purpose in life!
It shows how never to give up. Believe. Triumph! Live! You are ok!
Mandy (2018)
Utter rubbish!
This movie cannot be liked by anyone over 14! It really is bad. The only good thing about it is whatever her name is ... the star and she doesn't hang around for that long. It starts off looking promising but damn does it go south. Too simple a plot, no conversation/dialogue and very silly violence. A movie for the simple minded; how it ever got a score of over 6 baffles me and I am a very forgiving person, especially when it comes to movies. Don't waste your time.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Inner Light (1992)
Deeply profound.
This is, by far, my favorite episode of all TV shows ever made!
The episode starts off by the Enterprise
being approached by a probe. This probe mysteriously, and by some sort of signal, attaches itself to Captain JLP, rendering him unconscious. He wakes up in another world, a well respected member of a community on a planet in a dying star system.
It takes him a while to come to grips with his new life, but he endures and lives it to the fullest. He marries, has children and helps the community in trying to find a solution to their problem which is basically an impossible feat.
In his spare time he finally gets around to fulfilling a lifelong dream of his to play a musical instrument: the flute.
His life, as we see it, brings us to forget that he was once the captain of a star fleet ship. It becomes a life story; a very touching one at that. It becomes a complete lesson in the value of life.
Eventually, he is brought to realise that his consciousness was brought to this dying planet to bare witness to their existence so that they are remembered. He is brought to this realisation by attending the launch of the probe that was being sent to find him.
When he wakes up, only 20 minutes have passed but he has lived a second, whole life. It is obvious that that will impact him deeply.
The crew manage to pull in the probe and in it is his flute.
Now; I am not one to ever feel emotional while watching film of any kind. But I found myself deeply and profoundly touched when he opened the box the flute came in and took the flute out and started playing it.
If you haven't seen this episode, see it.
Ender's Game (2013)
Tell me again: why bring in a child to lead an army?
Would I opt for a leader who will lead in a battle the outcome of which will determine the survival of the human race if that leader is just a boy?
Whatever the reason that kid was chosen, I think this is just plain stupid. I mean, seriously? A boy?
Lucky Chances (1990)
Nothing like the book.
Seriously?
A blonde lucky?
If you've read the books, then don't watch this. I know you won't be able to resist, but you'll end up regretting it. This is nothing like the book. The cast looks nothing whatsoever like the characters in the books; nothing.
This is nothing but a lame, flat interpretation of an otherwise colorful, full of life, story. None of the details that made the stories so much fun can be seen anywhere. Horrible!