One of the most depressing films I have ever seen in my entire life. I do not recommend this one to anyone emotionally struggling during the pandemic. Awful, awful ending.
This episode had me glued at the screen. It's a huge homage to Sam Peckinpah's films, and clearly sets the mood for a great season finale. This is what really makes Star Wars great: it made deeply care for the characters and I felt despair with every single loss and setback they experience. And the ending... Oh, my gosh. It broke my heart. This is going to be a very long week until the next episode!.
I tried to be more than fair to this film, given its cast. It has Michael Barrett's excellent photography, the original premise is also quite interesting and there are bits here and there where the writer-director tried to flesh out some characters. In paper, it has an outstanding cast. I loved Brendan Fletcher's performance. Eliana Jones is amazing, stealing all her scenes. And that's about it. Nomis a.k.a. Night Hunter has some of the worst acting I've seen lately. Henry Cavill couldn't be more cliché and honestly he's seems like he's just going by the motions, not even trying to be more than your typical burnt out cop. Alexandra Daddario looks so out of place that I was surprised she wasn't edited out of the movie. Her performance couldn't be more flat, totally coming across as a nuisance in all her scenes. Stanley Tucci, Nathan Fillion and Ben Kingsley seemed only interested in cashing their checks, and that's utterly sad. Alex Lu's score is intrusive, and repetitive. Heck, it even sounds like stock fare from any given music library. It's a very disappointing film and pretty good example of a nice premise going the wrong way. This is David Raymond's first "real" film as a director with a "real" cast, and I don't know who was financing this bloody mess, but I hope they get at least a third of it. They made a good choice to make it VOD.
14 minutes of wasted & inconsistent time. Deeply disappointing even as a webisode.
Comparing this film to its 1959 version would be a disservice. Based more faithfully upon the original novel, it features an excellent performance by Toby Kebbell and a competent one from Jack Huston, now brothers rather than just good childhood friends. This a story about forgiveness and redemption, and it requires from the viewer to enjoy it as such. Visually, it holds up with many practical shots, excellent photography and little CGI, a welcome change for that matter. The editing is a little bit choppy, sadly keeping in with the latest trends. Well, I really hope that it gets at least its budget back, because this summer has been brutal with most films at the B.O. Hope to enjoy it again on Netflix soon.
Something very interesting happened between the time I did stream this pilot from Amazon Prime for the first time, and eight months later, that I'm checking it out again. In the weeks following the premiere, writer Agness Kaku complained about that many of the japanese signs in the show were utter non-sense, like the word "Respect" written all over the place, an ad for "Viper Pharmacy" hanging in a place of honor in the Aikido dojo, the fact that naming San Francisco's International Airport as "Hiroito" and the bus station as "Imperial" violates Japanese naming customs and Joel de la Fuente delivering a line that was apparently written using Google Translate ("Yes, let us go then, you and I, when the evening is spread out against the sky. Ta, my good suspect!"). Well, the producers made a different cut, that's the one available for streaming now: the scene with the badly translated line was cut entirely, and several signs on the street (and the one in the dojo) were digitally changed for something more realistic. The Hiroito International Airport and bus station stayed, oddly. Also the Blade Runner homage in the Sunrise Cafe was cut short, and the pilot now has a different narrative, adding more bits here and there, and a whole different ending, with more scenes mashed up to add exposition and increase the story's relationship with the I Ching (as in the source material). Isn't a bad cut at all, and it feels different, probably better than the original.
About the only reason I did enjoy this movie, was the cast, as they tried their best to flesh out unidimensional characters in a script that sadly, tries a little bit too hard to pay an homage to the original (and to a couple more films), but that also had a few twists now and then. I'm not comparing at all my experience as a 12 years-old kid watching the original. Back then, an uncle of mine (who passed away some years ago, God keeps his soul) was the manager at our town's largest cinema (a nice 70mm film 2000 seater that has been torn down since), and used to let me watch for free (and most of the times, all by myself) every single new film they got, before it opened, from 1980 up to 1987, when I moved to another city. Now, 1982 was for me a GREAT year: Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan, Blade Runner, Tron, The Thing, E.T, Conan: The Barbarian, Creepshow, The Dark Crystal, Firefox... almost every Saturday opening was a fantastic movie, in every genre. For the original Poltergeist, I was alone in the cinema, scared shitless. For this version... let's say I was checking boxes (while eating my popcorn) regarding how they got this or that from the first one, and the cast made me enjoy the experience. Have we seen way too many movies, that now we have become so cynical, expecting so much at every opening?. I don't know. I'm still missing watching in awe brand new movies on a huge screen all by myself as a kid. Having said that, I'm sure that there are some scenes cut from the theatrical release that I hope will get into the Blu-ray. It's a fine move, and it stands by itself when we cease to compare it.
Just a comment regarding the SAC op. The radios issued in these ops are always rugged, waterproof models, at least IP67, and that means being under salt water for 60 minutes. So there's no chance the "electronics are wet" becomes an issue, but I understand that it's meant to advance the plot, making Bishop leave the boat.
Couldn't stand it. Probably I'll try to watch a couple more episodes, but that's it. I don't like the writing, the message is too tame and diluted for me. Not even in the same galaxy than Alan Moore's graphic novel. It doesn't have nothing to do with Watchmen, it's something else's agenda with the Watchmen name attached.
Another DC dissapointment. The movie beings with all the promises and high stakes of a great film for the first half hour, and at first glance, Ayer places skillfully all his pieces on the board, and then, suddenly he loses all kind of sense of direction, despite spending some serious money on a really very cool visual design. This is a movie comprised of many brief moments of humor and running gags, not really scenes, it lacks an original story structure, as the whole "mission" is a mean by itself and there is not really an end game because the antagonist is very lame, with a generic CGI look. Those moments when the movie shines are great - don't get me wrong - but they don't contribute at all to enhance the overall plot development and some are just plain fan service, like the Batman cameo here and there to remind us that this an official DC movie. There are a lot of PG-13 jokes and innuendos (sadly, the best were in the trailers and many are out of place), and flashbacks... tons of flashbacks and dreamy sequences. Regarding the cast... imagine now that you have a basketball dream team... and they have someone who doesn't have a damn clue about the game as their Coach, and that Homer Simpson has written the playbook they are using, and you'll get an idea about how BAD this movie is, and no Director's Cut or Ultimate Edition can save it from the rubbish it is. It's ultimately such shame, because the acting is in my opinion so spot-on in most characters (specially Jared Leto's Joker in the very few minutes of screen time he has - yes, he is hardly at all in this film, so don't get your hopes high about his few lines of dialogue), but the charm or shock-value from those characters as themselves doesn't contribute to what it could have been a great film, as the whole conclusion isn't worth it (you'll get it by the third act). I would gladly watch a movie about The Joker and Harley Quinn's relationship... but this is, in the end, a lost opportunity. Oh... and the amazing vibe from the trailers?... you're gonna miss it because the music score is generic, bombastic and common-place (except for a few classic rock songs that the director tries to use to get his point across). It seems that Justice League will be the "good" DC movie after all (it better be, for Warner's sake). I'm not even keeping my hopes too high for next year's Wonder Woman after this mess, because trailers ARE deceiving. Suicide Squad is a movie that I won't buy on Blu-ray or catch again on Netflix. For those having high hopes for this film based on the material shown in the trailers: you will wish you could ask for a refund.
In true George Lucas fashion, there are 3 different versions of this Kevin Burns documentary, produced by Prometheus Entertainment. The first, running at 2:31:00 (in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio framed as 4:3), available only in the original 2004 Special Edition DVD release, in monoaural audio. A second version, intended to be broadcast on A&E to promote the release of the Special Edition DVD trilogy, that cuts down 1 whole hour of content, yet has commercial breaks planned, a fast paced beat, it retains only key interviews, and features a 2.0 Dolby Stereo track (that actually kicks-ass), and the framed 4:3 aspect ratio. The third version is available on the US version of the Blu-ray 2011 release (those box sets with the extra content disc), and it only cuts half-hour of the original content and yet adds some new visual snippets and bits (like some shots featuring world-class swordsman Bob Anderson without the Darth Vader mask in the fencing sequences, a role that Lucas never acknowledged he performed until Anderson's passing), but sadly isn't available on HD (Burns used a 720p Hi-Def video camera for the archival interviews and made a 720p cut, but Lucasfilms had the dumb idea of cramming 8 hours of content on a single dual-layer Blu-ray, so they had to keep it at 480p with 2.0 Dolby Stereo), but it restores the original 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The original 2004 version is an excellent general-interest documentary (a must-see for anyone interested in the art of filmmaking), with the added bonus of being mastefully narrated by Robert Clotworthy (Jim Raynor in Blizzard's StarCraft video game series, Marshall Law in Tekken 5 and the soothing voice in the otherwise crazy History Channel's Ancient Aliens). Gosh, I would love to watch a 720p 1.78:1 version of it, some day.
Even when it's not 100% historically accurate, this movie is still relevant, and one of my favorite Cold Ward flicks of all time. It gets the message across, making you wonder about the hard, hard choices that Kennedy had to make in that given period of time. The development of a new diplomatic language, rules of engagement and nuclear policy as we know it today. The tension and thrill feels real (the low altitude fly-by and the U2 scenes are just great), both as a testament of those cold warriors and the way policy is made, to this day.
One of my favorite shows. It was engaging, and it made me care so much about the characters and their evolution as people, not just characters written in a script. Wonderfully cast.
This is one of my favorite comedies, for 3 reasons: it's so damn close to reality of American politics, the characters are down to earth and it's so well written. I'm so looking forward for next season.
It's like a very bad Halo fan-fiction. The first 16 minutes had potential, but that was lost by the episode's end.
Michelle Yeoh really steals this episode. So far, so good with the story and character development.
I love that I didn't see that one coming at all. Great ending.
Way better than I was expecting. I'm pretty sure the show will find its footing right away. The story is compelling and it really follows onto events that are part of Star Trek's canon. As they say, I am all in for the journey ahead.
Tertia Optio is the motto of the Special Activities Center (SAC), and it means Third Option, as covert action is the next option available after diplomacy and the military.I like how the plot is unfolding so far.
This ranks high in my "Worst Films I've Ever Seen" list. Sadly, it reflects the average quality of Netflix's comedy offerings. I wonder if its target audience find it amusing. About the only positive thing that I can say about it, is that it has a good cast, and many cameos.
I had to activate my sense of disbelief at 100% for this film. I've read the manga, seen the anime, the Japanese live-action films (all 3 of them), and the recent Japanese live-action TV series. So, I decided to give it a chance, standing on his own... and I love it. This is an 80's style film, and follows the classic terror storytelling plots of that era, and the music and photography style follows suit. Everything that we as fans might see as a deviation from the original, are precisely the little tidbits that make it stand apart. It has better acting and dialogue than the Japanese live-action films, and the psychosis from Light is what I might expect from someone who is experiencing an emotional breakdown. Anyway... this is already a hit on Netflix from the amount of viewers alone.
What I find more compelling about this show is how it uses an alien invader to create a narrative and commentary about terrorism (its motivations, drives, philosophical justificaction) and counter-terrorism in the post 9-11 era, mixing elements from World War II and the 60's anti-colonial movement in Africa and Asia. Excellent show, I really hope it gets more than two seasons.
This entire season was a delayed response to 9-11. The Twin Towers became the Xindi (themselves surrogates of Osama Bin Laden) attack on Florida and Venezuela. As such, it feels like a snapshot of the American collective state of mind that prevailed during the early 2000's. "The Mission". Enemies everywhere. Compromises. Torture. The character crossed lines that no other crew had in Star Trek history, and that had a huge cost in viewership. Even after 10 years, it's hard to watch it without wondering... it was worth it?.
An excellent documentary. After following for years in the press this case, I was expecting someday a "behind the scenes" documentary of the case inner workings like this one, and it really was an eye opener. Amanda Knox must be one of the most dumb, egocentrical, deceitful, unreliable, manipulative and superficial persons that I've ever seen in my life. She's guilty as hell, of course. You can see clearly in her body language and expressions that she's lying during the whole documentary. Most of the time, she's acting like it's a joke for her. Sadly, the Italian police made crucial mistakes during the investigative process and the judicial system there isn't precisely the best. It must be clear for the viewer that she wasn't declared "innocent", but got the equivalent of a mistrial (twice) and the prosecution wasn't able to create a new case against her sucessfully to stand against their appeals. That's such a shame, because she should be behind bars instead of everyone treating her as the spoiled brat that she is. There was no justice for Meredith, and Amanda's family is deeply in debt after all these years (and probably will be for over a decade). Hope she rots somewhere, someday.
I gave myself time to wait a little bit to watch this movie two weeks after the premiere. It was in an excellent 300 seats movie theatre with only 3 people at 8:00 P.M. The movie, as a visual spectacle, works as such: excellent photography, good acting, very nice VFX's, and excellent music. The problem, is the narrative. For a movie, it's a bloody mess, that actually would work GREAT on a miniseries, with enough time to expand the plots and flesh out the characters. I didn't have problems to follow the story because I'm used to read books with hugely disjointed or dreamy plots. But this is a visual experience, and that sets a whole different level of expectations for the CASUAL viewer. DC Comics buffs won't have problems to find the virtues of this movie (and I must confess myself a fan of Batman) but I have to point out that the couple that was in the theatre with me, left the movie about 1 hour into the show, so I ended up watching the rest alone. I'm buying this Blu-ray (hopefully a director's cut) for my collection, but to be honest, BVSDJ needs one hour more of exposition and plot to really tell the story right. This movie will lose money, that's for sure. I just hope that fact doesn't mess with the rest of WB's plans, because I'm really looking forward for Suicide Squad and Aquaman (albeit not James Cameron's, sadly). As a bottom line: I'm sure there's a good BVSDJ movie in there, that was probably left on the cutting floor, and damn, I would loved that one!.
I'm sad that NBC has already cancelled this series and now they'll just burn the last 4 episodes. Therefore, the plot of the missing wife, the FBI agent that tries to "uncover" the activites of The House (that just received the alterative name of "Occam"), the Pit Boss past and the rest of interesting bits that made this series so enjoyable, won't be concluded. Therefore, I'm not wasting my time with those 4 episodes anymore. Ironically, they've already sold this show to 105 countries... and most of them will premiere it next year.
I do happen to like the way they subtly hinted that The Doctor has enough regeneration energy for another go, at least. What I don't like is that this comes along with recent Peter Capaldi's comments on interviews about him being too tired of shooting Doctor Who, after just two series. That means that he's leaving after series 10?. Most likely. Cast a 57 y.o. actor in a physical demanding role, and what do you get?. The episode introduces the concept of a new Doctor in just a couple of lines, and that kept my attention off for the rest of it. When I went back to watch it again, there it was, I wasn't wrong. So, I'm expecting the beginning of the casting process after S9's Christmas special, and a proper send off after wrapping S10. Wearable technology?... sure.
It's a pleasure to have Sir Stewart having a ball on this show, that really takes aim at his comedic skills. I must say it's a very British kind of show (in pace, humour and delivery), so I'm not entirely sure if it'll please the American Kardashian-loving kind of people in the 18-35 age group that seems to be the only audience that Starz is looking for (they cancelled Magic City, that was a great show just because it was weak at that demography, and renewed Power barely). This show has dark humour, hidden golden eggs, wits and great acting moments, and I truly hope it gets more than the two seasons already ordered.
Damn. Goddamn. This is the best episode so far. Pure delight and joy, and some of the best Star Wars canon to date.
This is what I call "to boldly go...". A wonderful episode that respects the legends, and builds up upon them to reach for the stars.
