March 27, 2022

The Deep House

Rating: 4 of 5 submersed haunted mansions
Two “Youtubers” (so you already want evil to befall them) visit abandoned buildings hoping to get enough views to make money. After some cursory setup, they’re taken to a lake with an intact house at its bottom.Scary shit ensues. Cool concept, going through the house underwater, so floating things can float (how is that metal candelabra floating???). Nothing is moldy or decayed, why? Scary shit, that’s why.Did I mention it’s scary?

March 20, 2022

Alien Invasion (2005)

Rating: 4 of 5 CGI Alien bugs
A made for TV movie, staring Bruce Campbell and Renee O’Connor. Exactly what I expected, a total cheesefest, about on par with an episode of Xena. Defeated humans with no will to fight, human collaborators that corral and punish the slave humans, nasty aliens with big guns. A by-the-book plot, really bad special effects, even worse acting. Some seriously horrible wigs and fake beards. Clothes that look mostly like fuzzy polyester rugs.

March 19, 2022

West Side Story

Rating: 4 of 5 unnecessary remakes It’s West Side Story. Same as the 1961 movie. Maybe a bit more explicitly violent. Slightly updated, but it takes place in the 50’s, so not much to update. Really not sure why it needed remaking. It’s good, just like the 1961 version was.

March 16, 2022

The Adam Project

Rating: 4 of 5 evil tech stereotypes Ryan Reynolds movies all have a common thread. Reynolds is going to be a wise-ass, mostly playing the same character. But, he’s so good at it, usually you don’t mind. OK, this one has time travel, a wise-ass younger version of Adam, a dead parent, an evil corporate exec. All in all, this could have been a huge train-wreck. But, it wasn’t. It was funny and entertaining.

March 9, 2022

CODA

Rating: 5 of 5 boxes of Kleenex
Absolutely wonderful performances by the entire cast, a realistic and poignant storyline, a great soundtrack. I laughed, I cried, I loved the entire film. This is what good storytelling is all about.

March 1, 2022

The King's Man

Rating: 2 of 5 sword canes Well, it’s a prequel. It’s got some great action, interrupted by like an hour and a half of over-complex plots, layered over a terribly simple plot. Oh, and a bunch of silly action. So much dialog, of which I remember none. The big secret reveal? Meh. Ralph Fiennes is great, as always, but he can’t save this one. I expected so much better.

February 27, 2022

The Tragedy of Macbeth

Rating: 5 of 5 shadowy archways
It’s Macbeth, so no surprises there. Spectacular use of light and shadow and really sparse sets. Looked like a great 50’s film noir. Good performances. Denzel and McDormand play the happy couple with all their amazing talents.

February 26, 2022

Free Guy

Rating: 4 of 5 experience points Fun premise, an NPC is suddenly able to evolve and act on their own in a video game. A thin plot ensues with a bad guy (gleefully overacted by Taika Waititi). Not for Ryan Reynolds haters, since he mostly just plays the same character over and over. Lots of laughs and entertaining situations, fun special effects. Ending wasn’t the best, but had its moments. Kinda want to watch it again soon, just to look for more cool things in the background.

February 24, 2022

No Time to Die

Rating: 4 of 5 Bonds. James Bonds. It’s a Daniel Craig Bond film, so I liked it. He’s my favorite Bond, and I probably rate his films higher than an unbiased reviewer. It’s got a DB5, chases, explosions, conflict, epic lairs, and evil villains. A great wrap-up for Craig’s character arch. It has issues, but all Bond films have some flaws.

February 12, 2022

Nightmare Alley

Rating: 3 of 5 creepy carnies Nightmare Alley was visually stunning, had great actors doing their thing, and an interesting, straightforward plot. Nothing complicated, more style than substance, but enough style for days. Kept me interested, and just marveling at the sets and photography and lighting.