max-p-m-reznik Reviews

Knock at the Cabin (2023)

Entertaining but thats it

[5/10 · 31 March 2023]

This is a movie I can almost guarantee I will never watch again. The movie itself entertains, it's rather short and because of this something is always happening so I will say it doesn't get boring. Additionally there's some pretty decent acting from Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge. This is about it though. The premise of the movie is pretty ridiculous and poorly fleshed out and from the first 15 minutes of the movie you can guess the ending, I even correctly guessed who they were going to kill as I'm sure most would (although it is a 1/3 chance so maybe that's a bit of a fluke). There's the traditional horror movie stupidity at times (like keeping an unloaded gun in a lock box or not shooting someone who is going to do you harm), some pretty 2009ish CG (which for a 20 million dollar budget is a little understandable).

Overall this movie does the bare minimum to keep your attention for a bit over 90 minutes and so I give it the rating I give all movies that do this. 5/10.

The Whale (2022)

Pretty good movie

[7/10 · 22 February 2023]

Some people seem to be upset about this being a sad movie which is certainly an acceptable response. However confusing a sad movie with a bad movie is just wrong, especially with the other movies Darren have made, none of which have a happy ending if I recall.

Anyways, this movie tells a pretty good story that has a very real feeling, nothing is too exaggerated and the pacing is just right if you ask me. Nothing too spectacular in the camera work and there's nothing too special about the other characters either. Sadie Sink's acting is alright but it's really Brendan Fraser that has the standout performance and I'd be surprised to see anyone take the oscar from him.

The Black Phone (2021)

just alright

[6/10 · 1 August 2022]

This movie is okay. Lot is left unexplained. Feels like a crappy amalgamation of Room and Buffalo Bill from silence of the lambs. More background on the Grabber could've added a lot. Then there's just some plot holes like the Grabber's brother lives in the house where the kids are being kept and never notices? Why wouldn't his brother put him in the other house? How do the detectives that saw a guy coked out and didn't arrest him now feel they can break into a house with no warrant on the whims of a 10 year old? Finally where DID that steak come from?

Atlanta (2016–2022)

Would not watch season 3

[9/10 · 31 July 2022]

The first two seasons of this show are great, probably some of the most original stuff I've ever seen, no other show seems to match the vibe of this one. Season 3 has a pretty different format with a lot of episodes that are unrelated to the characters, the first episode was great as it still felt like it took place in Glover's Atlanta but none of the others weren't great. Additionally season 3 had a terrible finale with nearly no setup for the next season and none of the main characters.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

A bit off theme but not bad

[7/10 · 12 July 2022]

This movie seems to get a decent amount of hate and I'd say it's due in large part to Sam Raimi doing a bit too much of what he wants. This surprised me as his spiderman movies were good superhero movies but you can really tell this movie is made by the guy who made evil dead. I don't hate evil dead i just don't think the style matches up with the first doctor strange. I understand these big style changes have worked well in the past (specifically referring to thor ragnarok when compared to thor and thor the dark world) but you really have to know what you're doing to pull something like that off. My only real criticism of this movie is that it's cannon with Wandavision (personally haven't seen but some quick googling allowed me to fill in the blanks) and this essentially means that they are just restricting their audience which i feel isnt great.

Mike Tyson Mysteries (2014–2020)

Solid comedy

[8/10 · 13 December 2021]

People who don't like this show are simply taking it too seriously. Mike Tyson is intentionally portrayed as a complete moron and it's REALLY funny. Norm McDonald is also hilarious and you can tell they let him write a majority of his own lines as most of his dialogue matches what his old standup feels like.

The Good Dinosaur (2015)

A good movie but not really for kids

[7/10 · 27 April 2021]

This movie really does have a good plot, I watched it cuz I always enjoy pixar movies. However, the usual trend with pixar movies is that the story is interesting enough for adults and light enough for kids, If I had a kid I wouldn't take him/her to see this movie. The main characters father dies at the beginning of the movie and it would be pretty crushing for a kid as it is a 5 minute scene of the kid trying to save his dad while he's stuck in a river and it illustrates the futility of his attempts to save his dad (the dad doesn't come back or anything by the way, he really just dies). Again, not a bad movie but definitely too sad for kids.

The Lion King (2019)

It's a copy, but somehow... it's worse

[1/10 · 14 December 2020]

If you've seen the original from 1994 there's really nothing to say, this is just a plagiarism of that movie. The reason I give it a 1/10 is because one would expect that since Disney is making their own movie again they wouldn't so pathetic as to just reuse the script almost word for word, but that is what they did. So this movie is simply a waste of your time and money any way you look at it. Haven't seen The Lion King? Watch the original from 1994. Been a while since you seen The Lion King and maybe want to watch it with your kids? Watch the original from 1994. You think the fancy CGI gimmick will make watching this more interesting than re-watching the original? It won't, it gets old really fast, and the original really is better for too many reasons to list.

The Invention of Lying (2009)

Boring too quick

[5/10 · 12 January 2020]

The narration at the beginning should have been omitted, it really wasn't necessary and the joke may have been better.

Inside Man: Most Wanted (2019)

Rip-off

[1/10 · 1 October 2019]

This isn't even a sequel it's literally a word for word ripoff of the original

The Running Man (1987)

Nothing like the book in the best way.

[7/10 · 8 September 2019]

Don't watch this expecting something like the book, this is its own thing, and a pretty amazing thing I must say. Go into it expecting a classic 80s movie and you won't be disappointed.

The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)

Not Understood

[7/10 · 25 June 2019]

I think people who rate this movie poorly do not understand. While I won't call is a masterpiece I do think it is underrated. While it's labeled as a comedy I don't think it's intended to be one, some aspects of it are funny, but thats seems to be simply for comic relief. The movie does tell an interesting story, some may think it a dumb story, however most of it is quite true to life (look into it). If nothing else the acting is sublime.