sleeping_tiger Reviews

Asteroid City (2023)

Snooze City

[2/10 · 18 July 2023]

This must have been the first Wes Anderson film I watched that was totally boring. I forced myself to watch it in increments to get through this dull moving picture. With such an ensemble cast, I was hoping it would have been just as good as his previous works, but nope. The film was visually bright and appealing, with typical Wes Anderson style camera panning. So at least you have that. The only reason I'm giving it 2 stars is because there is a brief full nude scene. It was the only thing that was interesting, which sadly shows how boring this film was. A full nude scene had to be inserted probably to keep the audience awake. Finally, towards the end of the film a large portion of the cast are chanting in unison signaling to the audience to wake up as the film is about to end. What they chant is apropos and highlights how unbearably dull this film is.

Double Patty (2021)

Double under-cooked patties

[4/10 · 22 December 2021]

I mainly came in watching this film for Joo-Hyun Bae (aka Irene from the K-Pop group "Red Velvet").

The film starts out hinting toward romance between the two main leads' characters. It almost becomes palpable in the scenes revolving around eponymous double patty hamburgers. But then the second half of the film takes a nose-dive into lacking direction. There is some drama, but it's a bit disappointing how it was executed. The drama occurs separate between the two main characters, which makes it even more disappointing. If the romance part was allowed to blossom between two main characters, it would have helped bridge their worlds together and bring more depth or nuance to the story.

As for Joo-Hyun Bae's (Irene's) acting, to me, felt no different from her public appearances through Red Velvet. Whether at a music show, variety show, or live broadcast. Her expressions were deadpan. I was hoping more range from her.

Show Me the Ghost (2021)

Comedy-horror gem

[7/10 · 15 November 2021]

Simple comedy-horror, with some thriller and mystery mixed in. The movie is not complicated and maintains focus, making it easy to follow along. Most of the story involves just the two friends, Ho-du and Yeji. There are quite a few really funny moments. The horror is a bit creepy, but nothing extreme or over-the-top like gore or loud sound effects to annoy you. The movie ends in a way to setup for a sequel, but since it's an independent film, I highly doubt it will happen.

Snake Eyes (2021)

This movie rolled snake eyes

[2/10 · 29 August 2021]

The script rolled snake eyes, and the studio responsible for this losing bet decided to double down on the idea and produce this garbage. The only thing that kept me watching this failure to the end was Haruka Abe.

Happy Hour (2015)

Unhappy Hours

[5/10 · 12 July 2021]

I watched this movie in pieces over several days, in order to finish the 5+ hour run time. This allowed me to process what I watched during each time. The movie portrays how 4 Japanese women are dealing with each other and their personal lives. The conversations they had were interesting at some moments, but overall it magnified how they weren't able to communicate properly. Not with each other, and not with their husbands either. Each woman seemed listless and just floating through their lives, unhappy, and unsure what to do about it. But maybe that is the life and culture in Japan.

Memories of Murder (2003)

Memories of Incompetence

[4/10 · 10 June 2021]

The high rating and the lauded reviews, were a complete deception. This movie had just the right amount of thriller and mystery to keep you hooked, getting you to watch it to the end, only to realize you have been cheated. The movie did a great job presenting how incompetent the police were, chasing after useless leads that lead to nowhere, or chasing after assumed perpetrators without a shred of evidence. This movie's only worth is to teach future police detectives how not to investigate.

Mission Possible (2021)

A good ole action-comedy

[7/10 · 4 May 2021]

One of the things I like about this movie is the comedy doesn't interfere with the action. It's not slap-stick humor either. Also, a few of the action scenes are bloody, whether it's knife-play or gun-play. I'm surprised South Korea produced such a movie in the action-comedy genre, but it's a welcome surprise. Just as typical action-comedy films from South Korea, the two leads are bad-asses. But, it gets hinted at from the very beginning, so it's not like it's thrown into the audiences face unrealistically, half-way or even toward the end, like Extreme Job did.

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

The human drama gets in the way

[5/10 · 31 March 2021]

There is more pointless human drama than there is monster drama or monster fights. Worst of all, the human drama is annoyingly bad. Watching Kong and Godzilla fight, along with the facial expressions each make, was what makes the movie good and funny. Everything else was boring and garbage. In fact, if you fast forward past the scenes with humans, you will save yourself a few brain cells. The rest of your brain cells can be killed off from the enjoyment of watching two classic monsters fight and destroy things.

Boss Level (2020)

Another Edge of Tomorrow

[7/10 · 3 March 2021]

At the movie's core, it's just like Edge of Tomorrow. The hero is stuck in a time loop, repeating each day, triggered by his death. Just like in Edge of Tomorrow, the hero remembers the events of the previous time loop iterations, learns, adapts, and progresses the story forward. But, unlike Edge of Tomorrow, it's not set in the far future, pitted against aliens, but set in the modern time with a megalomaniac (a la Mel Gibson's character) wanting the ability to change the past.

What sets this movie apart is it has has very little science fiction, but focuses more on action, drama, and plenty of comedy. Especially with the scenes with the attractive Selina Lo. Those are quite entertaining and funny. The story is quite simple, direct, with no mystery at all. But it is entertaining, will not drag, nor bore you. The movie keeps itself simple and that's what I liked about it.

A side note, not sure why Michelle Yeoh is billed, as she has only one main scene which lasts a couple of minutes, and two minor appearances that last a few seconds. Selina Lo's character actually gets a lot more screen time, and I would consider her the main physical adversary to the hero.

Monster Hunter (2020)

This movie is a monster that needs to be hunted down

[3/10 · 16 February 2021]

Just watch it for the action and visual effects. There are some humor sprinkled throughout the movie. Everything else about this movie is bad. Turn off your brain, shove food and drinks in your mouth, and watch it if you have absolutely nothing else to watch. Then stab and burn the movie like the monster it is.

Space Sweepers (2021)

A gem among space junk

[7/10 · 6 February 2021]

In a way, this movie reminds me of Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. It has very nice visual effects, good action, a decent, but simple story, and good pacing. It'll keep you entertained at least.

The Lost Choices (2015)

Revenge is the only choice

[7/10 · 15 November 2020]

This isn't your typical "strong female character that gets revenge" type of movie, which you can compare to many American movies with a female lead getting revenge. Unlike the American style, here the character is a plain woman, trying to survive, with a disability, but really has mainly two good things she can control. She can draw and is a good marksman. There isn't any grand action scenes, typical of American movies, where a small, skinny woman can overpower the men. The lead is weak, emotional, and feels absolutely hopeless. Her only advantage is the men think the same about her. The movie is sad and depressing. You can easily sense this as it progresses, which makes it a good movie because you can empathize. But, there is no happy ending. Nevertheless, it's still worth watching. There is a disappointing, or anticlimactic, scene towards the end, involving one of the perpetrators, which made me think is uncharacteristic of the lead character as the movie progresses showing how she descends into revenge. There is a twist at the end as well. Also, there's some extra footage during the credits.

Tricky Dick (2019)

Impeachment doesn't mean anything

[7/10 · 28 October 2020]

I was a bit hesitant to watch this series, solely because it's produced by CNN. Nowadays, you can't really trust any one news network, solely because each produces their own narrative, manipulating facts to get viewers to think a certain way. Any learned and curious individual these days has to sample news from a wide range of sources to piece together the truth like solving a puzzle. Nevertheless, I am judging this production on the recordings of Nixon that are peppered through this 4-part series. I learned a little more about Richard Nixon than I really cared to. The missing tapes, the deleted 18 minutes from another tape, the obstruction of justice, were all clear signs of how low that a President of the United States is willing to go to maintain power. Impeachment doesn't mean anything. Because a President can easily resign to avoid any legal repercussions. One can lie, cheat, mislead, maybe even have people killed off if it's needed, and there will always more hurdles and barriers for justice than criminal actions.

Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy (2020–2021)

Transformers that barely transform

[6/10 · 5 August 2020]

Watching this release, I noticed that the Transformers barely transformed. They were mostly in humanoid form, walking, talking, and running. The action scenes were lacking, except for the last episode. But even then, there was a priority placed on unnecessary dialog rather than focusing on the action. The dialog for the most part...was annoying...because of the pauses...the characters made...while speaking. This drags the scenes on for too long. The other unnerving thing was watching Transformers, made up of metallic inanimate objects, panting and breathing like fleshy human beings. Anyway, it's slightly above average for me and worth watching just once because it's Transformers.

The King of Jokgu (2013)

Similar to a Wes Anderson movie

[7/10 · 23 July 2020]

If you like Wes Anderson films, you'll enjoy this funny movie. It has similarities to cinematography and comedy, but stands on it's own. The story is a bit predictable and simple, but that also makes it good because it doesn't distract you from the main story.

Phantom Detective (2016)

Phantom plot

[3/10 · 14 September 2019]

The plot is the real phantom and you need to be a detective to discover what this movie is about.

Beautiful Vampire (2018)

An entertaining oddity

[6/10 · 25 August 2019]

It's a simple romantic-comedy-drama-fantasy movie. You have a beautiful vampire woman, a mortal young man, and the mortal young man's mortal mother, along with some mundane nuisances like trying to pay rent and earn a living. The humor was good, the romance was a bit underwhelming, but typical for a Korean drama. There were a few instances of fantasy elements peppered throughout the movie, which added essence to the movie itself. My complaint is it dragged at many points, even for a short movie (73 minutes). The movie wasn't amazing, but it wasn't bad either. Just above average. Also, there are two additional scenes during the credits.

Supernatural: First Blood (2017) Season 12, Episode 9

"I've been to Hell. This was worse."

[2/10 · 31 July 2019]

Dean utters these exact words towards the end of the episode, after he and Sam escaped from the secret site they were being held. It surprises me every time how the writing for this show keeps getting worse as the show slowly descends into utter nonsensical trash. I am extremely glad this show is finally ending. It should have ended a long time ago honestly. That way the show would have remained as a fond memory.

Monstrum (2018)

Hyeri of Girl's Day is in this movie!

[8/10 · 3 February 2019]

I heard about Monstrum early 2018 from news that Lee Hyeri, one of the singers from now disbanded Girl's Day (K-Pop girl group), was going to be making her big screen film debut by starring in this film. When I heard it was going to be an action-horror, my interest was piqued. Honestly, the main reason I watched this movie is because of Lee Hyeri. I was pleasantly surprised she was given the female lead role, and did a very good job acting. The movie is a period piece, but it's not just an action-horror. There's elements of mystery and thriller, and even some comedy too. The movie had a nice pace with no dull moments. I really liked the fact that there was no forced romance either. It was kept to just a few lines too. There were a few instances where scenes connect abruptly, with no segue. It was annoying but it doesn't ruin the story. My other gripe, which is a big one, is none of the main characters ever suffer anything tragic. A few dramatic moments, cuts, scrapes, bruises, and some hurt feelings. That's it. Regardless, it was still an entertaining movie. I hope Lee Hyeri will have similar roles in the future, as she did a superb job in this one. It saddens me that Girl's Day has disbanded, as they were one of my favorite K-Pop groups. But at least I get to see the next chapter in one of the member's life.

The Flash: Crisis on Earth-X, Part 3 (2017) Season 4, Episode 8

I abandoned The Flash less than 15 minutes in to this episode

[1/10 · 27 November 2018]

Personally, I never watched a full episode of the Arrow. I couldn't wrap my brain around the stupidity. I definitely did not go near Supergirl at all. I gave Legends of Tomorrow a try with the first two episodes, only to realize that DC's television series' were slowly devolving to asinine situations and zero character development. I stuck out with The Flash for 3 whole seasons and up to this episode in the fourth season. This particular episode starts off where one of the other DC television shows left off. Either Arrow or Supergirl or Legends of Tomorrow. I don't know which one because I don't watch those shows for personally reasons. But I decided to give it a try. Less than 15 minutes in, the part where Iris and Felicity are caught by Earth-X Nazis, whom are holding firearms pointed at the unarmed ladies, manage to get bested by Iris pulling on a pipe or tube nearby, point it at the Nazis, and temporarily blind them, giving the ladies enough time to punch heavily armored Nazis and knocked them out. I immediately thought, why did the idiot writers put them into such a situation? Why have them encounter Nazis at all? They were sneaking around and avoiding contact anyway. But the writers had to create an unrealistic and idiotic scenario just to show how strong and independent Iris and Felicity are. More forced feminism. Anyway. I'm done with this show. It's a sinking ship.

The Flash: Girls Night Out (2017) Season 4, Episode 5

Pushing an agenda instead of story and Hulk/Marvel reference.

[3/10 · 31 October 2018]

First off, the episode overall was decent. It had some humor and did somewhat progress the story.

The main gripe of the episode was the multiple blatant use of the #feminism and girl power mentioned, even though it's not even necessary. I don't understand why it had to be thrown into the viewer's face, when already the female characters have proven their worth and capabilities from past episodes. In fact, I think the opposite was presented in this particular episode culminating with Iris and Felicity trying to ambush Amunet, only to be captured by two Japanese goons. It's like the writers were saying "women are strong" through words, but showed that they weren't strong and capable at all through action. Of course Iris and Felicity were saved by Caitlin/(Killer) Frost, who has been already shown to the viewer, and well established, to be a powerful and capable character. Except in this episode, #feminism and the writers, weirdly dumbed her character down and less capable. The second time Caitlin/(Killer) Frost and Amunet encounter each other in the episode, under the bridge, Caitlin/(Killer) Frost could have wiped the floor with Amunet.

The next issue is with the lacking in the progression of the story. After "team #feminism girls" foil Amunet and save The Weeper, they all let him go to run off. Both Iris and Caitlin/(Killer) Frost know that they have to find the remaining "bus metas". This information was established in previous episodes before this one. Yet Iris and Caitlin/(Killer) Frost let the guy run off without any protest. Iris could have easily talked The Weeper into having "Team Flash" (that includes everyone, including the male characters) help him, just like they did with Ralph Dibny/Plastoid. It didn't make any sense. I blame that on lazy or inept writing, since the writers and producers of too busy shoving #feminism down the viewers throats.

The last thing that was weird was halfway through the episode was when all four "team #feminism girls" are back at S.T.A.R. Labs. (Killer) Frost mentions that Caitlin is asleep, and out of nowhere Felicity references the Incredible Hulk as an analogy to Caitlin/(Killer) Frost's current situation. It was a bit humorous but also weird that a DC television show would give credence to a Marvel character.

The Commuter (I) (2018)

Taken...on a commute

[7/10 · 30 March 2018]

Liam Neeson's character has a very special set of skills. And those are being a commuter during rush hour and managing to find a seat on a train every time. Also offering a good old fashioned mystery-thriller with action, having a modern flare on film-noir. The movie actually held my attention and provided interesting twists and reveals. My only gripe is the main villain doesn't get killed, nor is there any clear indication the person gets true justice. Nevertheless, it's worth watching if you like some mystery on your daily commute.

The Shape of Water (2017)

The sexy shape of Sally Hawkins

[8/10 · 3 March 2018]

I enjoyed this mostly because Sally Hawkins was nude in several scenes. The movie was pretty good too.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014– )

Remember when John Oliver didn't talk about Trump?

[4/10 · 19 February 2018]

Pepperidge Farms remembers.

The first three seasons were very good. A wide variety of topics were covered, and my knowledge of the world expanded. After season 3, this show went down hill for me. Majority of season 4 (2017) was focused on Donald Trump and his Presidency. And on the first episode of season 5 (2018), the main topic yet again is Trump and his Presidency. Nothing interesting is being presented. The show has stagnated.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

A message of misandry

[5/10 · 14 February 2018]

It was an okay movie. It has some tongue-in-cheek humor, plenty of drama, and an almost non-existent thriller aspect. It tells the story of an angry mother, frustrated with the local police of not seeing justice served. What's typical of this movie is the same with much of anything that gets made into a movie or television these days, which is the underlying message of misandry.

The ex-husband is always an abusive asshole, the local, all-male, police are clueless, alcoholic, racist buffoons, and a red herring type of man from out of town is some evil, twisted guy that may be preying on innocent girls. We don't gte proof, but who needs proof in this current climate. Just listen, believe, and never verify. To top it off, there was a misandrist gem said by the lead character, Mildred: "If it was me, I'd start up a database. Every male baby what's born, stick them on it, and as soon as he done something wrong, cross-reference it, make 100% certain it was a correct match, then kill him." The message is always assume the worst of men, while women can do no wrong.