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theironorchid
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Army of the Dead (2021)
Terrible Film; A Wasted Premise That Could Have Been Good
I was going to come here to write a review about the many, many, many plot holes in this "film". Not to mention the contrived (and boring) plot line(s), and the awful, awful dialogue. But others did a far more eloquent job than I would have, and I thank them all for their insights. Had I only read the reviews before turning on this trash fire of cinema, I would not have lost a whopping 2 hours 28 minutes on this. I would very much like Netflix to pay me back for my time.
The film starts out with an interesting premise - a zombie invasion has been contained in Las Vegas where there is a LOT of money left behind. A group of mercenaries are hired to retrieve it. I'm in.
But slowly (oh so slowly) the film just tanks. I went from "excited" to "this is silly" to "now I'm annoyed" to "I actively hate this film" to "I now hate the director and writers".
I have decided I'm done with Mr. Snyder and will never watch one of his films ever again.
War of the Worlds: The Attack (2023)
Unwatchable.
I love a good monster/alien movie. I even love a not-so-good one. But this modern re-telling of the classic War of the Worlds story (hey movie makers, perhaps this one has been done enough...) was literally unwatchable. The dialogue was epically bad. The over-used tropes (the jump scare, the police won't see me if I duck down while I pass them, the someone in the group disappears while we're all standing there and no one notices, the bickering teens who are just bickering to hear themselves) were just lazy plot devices. The reactions of the main characters to otherworldly events was unbelievably unreal. The "modernization" of the story (set in the time of cell phones/telescopes/satellites) makes some of the other plot devices vapid at best. I couldn't even enjoy this on a camp level due the awful screen writing/dialog/acting. Avoid at all costs.
Another Life (2019)
Unbelievable Vapid Trash
I'm always up for a good "first contact" or "alien invasion" film/series. But this?
We're supposed to believe that Earth's BEST to make first contact with a potentially hostile species are all under 30, have practically no diplomatic or military experience, and the first thing they do when woken prematurely from sleep is to text their mommies and daddies?? Really?
And then the first time they disagree with the captain, they mutiny? Aren't their SOME sort of psychological tests that occur to make sure this doesn't happen on critical missions? The people responsible for the transfer of power are easily bullied by the second in command. And the artificial intelligence allows this with no proper command codes (other than the second in command screaming at him to DO IT!).
As Ripley once said, "Did IQs drop suddenly while I was away?"
Just awful - avoid if you're a sci-fi fan.
All in My Family (2019)
Homophobia at Home Is Still Homophobia
I will self-disclose I am not of Asian descent, so I do not have a perspective of the film maker. The film itself was well done, with engaging content and family members.
I just found myself SO frustrated there are still people willing to lie by omission about their lives and loves to keep others happy. And a film maker who lived 20 years in the U.S. who comes to the conclusion that it is okay to do this is sending the wrong message. Sad.
After Forever (2018)
Fine Until the End
I was really into the idea of a gay positive story not obsessed with youth culture. The main characters were in their 50s giving a romance story not often seen within the LGBTQ+ community.
Then in the final episode, the main character goes on a blind date with someone he seemed to like on the phone. When he arrives, he mistakes his date for a man with a bit of a belly. He then decides he wished he had opted for drinks instead of dinner - presumably because there is NO way in the world he could be attracted to someone carrying weight and/or balding! But oh - it was a mistake, and his date is gorgeous. PSHEW! The day is saved!
Shame on this series for its shallow body shaming, proving the worst about the LGBTQ+ culture - that it's obsessed only with outer beauty. They were SO close to something really good, but lost it in the end with this unnecessary bit of vapid cruelty.
Lu bian ye can (2015)
tedious, awful film
I have never written a review for IMDb, but I was so mystified by the positive ratings on this film, I felt compelled to give my opinion.
First I will admit I am a US citizen from the Midwest. As such, it is possible I just don't get this film based upon my cultural biases. I have been a member of our local "foreign film series" since 1999, so I have plenty of experience with non-US films.
Kaili Blues bored me to death. First are the inexplicable behaviors of the main characters and their motivation (see above as to my admission of cultural ignorance). I couldn't understand anything they chose to do. On top of that was an almost non-existent story – characters just seemed to go from place to place with no reason. In one case, literally so – a young girl just walks a large circle. Finally, a lack of any urgency of the characters left me cold.
I will admit to one clever moment at the end that MAY have explained the film, but it came too little, too late.
Six people got up and left the theater. I wish I had.