As someone who actually lives in Mexico, and has a 12-men strong Policias Federales group parked just outside my office with machine guns and a freaking tank (yes, a small tank with 2 50mm turrets), and my fair amount of dead bodies seen around in Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon and Sonora, many kidnapped (and lost forever) friends, this movie is one of the best I've ever seen about the War On Drugs. The third act is too constrained, but understandable as this is a movie made for an American audience. I wonder if you guys can tell the difference between Mexico City (where most of the Mexican scenes were shot) and Ciudad Juarez or Nogales, because you can't film there at all. The situation here is worst than anybody can imagine, and I just have to look outside my window. I'm looking forward for the next movie with Del Toro's character.
I honestly tried to like this movie, mostly because of its great cast. But I couldn't stand their shallow motivations, egocentric attitude and silly, sentimental dialogue, that actually made me hate most of the characters (not to mention the cameos from known stars). What entirely lost me as a viewer and made me feel uncomfortable, was a rescue pilot that flees a disaster zone to fly to a far away location to rescue his daughter. I'm a medical professional and I have been a first responder in several critical situations, and I just can say that I truly hated The Rock's character so much after that stunt. After that, I couldn't enjoy the movie, despite the CGI, that I felt as outstanding. DON'T MAKE A FIRST RESPONDER THAT FAILS TO STICK TO ETHICS AND RULES YOUR MAIN CHARACTER. It's such an insult. If you disagree, I'll remind you whenever you need medical assistance and your paramedic, doctor or nurse has to leave the scene of your accident to check on her/his daughter.
This film was way ahead of its time. I love how it reels you in, and never lets you go.
I always hated Mel Gibson's Braveheart because it was Robert the Bruce the one who was called the Braveheart because his heart (years after his death) was taken to a crusade in the Holy Land and thrown at the enemy in the heat of a battle, that was won, by the way. The film isn't entirely accurate (I'm a history buff), but not to a point that bothers me, as this isn't History Channel, but Netflix. The Prince of Wales was in London when his father died, Edward's body wasn't buried in the field, and Robert's daughter was kept a prisoner for 7 years more after the date the films ends. But all this made it very entertaining for me, and that's what matters in the end. Game Of Thrones is based upon Robert's history, so it's proper to finally see a film about the first great kind of the Scots.
I couldn't believe it. To be honest, it feels like a pilot for an awful series. Star Wars truly ended in 1983.
This is a huge course correction that practically negates TLJ. It has its moments, and given what the director-writer had to work with, it's understandable how it ends with such a feeble whimper. This isn't a good film and shouldn't be mistaken for one. TROS is a very disjointed, clearly rushed, derivative experience, that shows its editorial seams, packed with callbacks to all the good things the original trilogy had to offer in order to make you up for it. The visual effects are quite good in most places (nothing stunning or eye opening), but some in the third act are not really at par with the rest of the movie. The plot could be written up with a crayon in a napkin, and I wouldn't be amazed if that was the case, as this isn't Citizen Kane. The amount of loose ends and plot holes this film has, are way too many to me. This is a $300 million plus film (without accounting for marketing, re-shoots and extra CGI) and yet, it doesn't feel as good on the screen as Infinity War or End Game, (very good films made by the same Disney company). After leaving the theater, I was not full of hope, sad or willing to buy another ticket or even willing to watch this movie ever again. I felt nothing but sorry for George Lucas and couldn't care any less about what happens to Ben, Finn, Poe and Rey. The problem with this film when compared with any of the original trilogy is that those felt timeless (grounded on mythical archetypes, Japanese samurai films, Westerns, Flash Gordon serials and the hero's journey) and this plot will look very dated by next year, I'm sure of it. Luke Skywalker took 5 years to master the arts of the Jedi, having two Jedi masters to introduce him to its philosophy. Rey has some old books and voices in his head to kinda learn in months a lot of fantastic new Jedi powers that made no sense. No matter how much it makes back at the box office, it will lose in long-term repeated viewings (one time is enough for me), Blu-ray and DVD sales, and of course, merchandise. It is a good thing we have The Mandalorian to keep the franchise in life support until the inevitable reboot comes along in 5 years. Edit: Forgot to mention that there were only 9 people on the first IMAX showing of TROS on this movie theater (this is a 3.5 million people city). Back in 2015, all the showings were packed for TFA the first 4 days.
This the best movie by Wes Anderson. It's charming, funny, sad and tender, yet magical. The ending... it's heartbreaking and sweet. A must-see for everyone.
Getting an invitation for a Marvel early screening was meant to be something great in the past. Sadly, I've just got it for this stinker of a movie, and lost two hours of my life. I'm a fan of Josh Trank's Chronicle, so I kept my hopes high, but not much so, as he's a competent filmmaker but more in tone with an indie vibe rather than a blockbuster, in my opinion. I'm so disappointed regarding this movie that I can resume the entire plot in the following few lines: a couple of kids (one a mild-mannered-mad-scientist-in-the-making and an honest-to-God-sports-jock) try for nearly a decade to create a functioning prototype of a phase-quantum-dimensional-shifting device (a teleportation machine, for the layman), getting the attention of a gifted scientist (who happens to have a politically correct bi-racial family) from a government-funded think-tank. Together, they spend HALF (yes, half) the movie trying to make the prototype of the device (now named "Quantum Gate") fully functional and open a portal to Planet Zero (a desolate generic CGI dimension that co-exist with ours), with the unwilling aid of Victor, a hacker-wiz kid who happens to be sadly in love with the only female character in the film, who in turn has a crush for Reed (as you might expect, Reed is utterly oblivious to her most of the film). The whole ordeal feels detached, procedural and boring, but has the very brief quality of portraying them as humans, with flaws. Anyway, as expected (because bad things do happen when you rush experiments), their visit to Planet Zero goes awry when Victor tries (as any scientist might) take a sample. The portal collapses, and Victor is left behind. I must dearly advise to you: it follows one of the most disturbing, un-glamours and painful transformation scenes I've ever seen in a Marvel movie. Their DNA is changed and they have odd molecular-phasing side-effects that can be characterised as "super powers". A great deal of the rest of the film is spent trying to - ironically - reverse the molecular-phasing disease, and we get to see a few neat scenes, while one of them is remorseful and contrite (hiding in South America) and the others begin to use their abilities to become military assets. This goes for a while until out of the blue, Victor (quite understandably bitter with them) decides to destroy our Earth using the Planet Zero portal. He's so good at it that he gets to almost destroy Earth without any complicated laboratory or technology. Then it comes the 10 minute studio-mandated battle where the characters become reluctant heroes (honestly, Reed a melee expert?) and obviously defeat Victor, who "disintegrates" (I don't believe that at all) while the portal finally collapses. After those 10 minutes of low quality CGI extravaganza, they get fully funded by the US Military, and decide to use their side-effects to protect humankind, while searching a cure for their disease (unlike the X-Men and most Marvel characters, the FF have always been in good terms with the US Government and NY authorities). In the end, I was baffled that there was not a single ounce of wonder or enjoyment from their part in their abilities, and that the characters feel underdeveloped, to the point of being hollow jokes compared to their comic book counterparts (especially the latest incarnation). With the exception of Michael B. Jordan and Red E. Cathey, the rest of the cast is AWFUL, their dialogues becoming wholly interchangeable. Really. Write down snippets from the dialogue, and any of the characters can deliver those lines. It's that bad. I'm sure I'll never watch this movie again, and I do hope the sequel never gets made. By the way: this movie isn't part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a good reason.
Just like his previous film (Downloaded), Alex Winter creates a whole narrative stitching himself into the characters he's connecting. First, it paints an image of The Silk Road as a community whose main goal was to decrease the level of violence involved in drug-related transactions, to benefit the buyers (that rated both sellers and their products) thus creating an utopian libertarian free market experience. Second, it follows the case of the government and law enforcement agencies, their efforts to shutdown TSR and the ultimate futility of them, as several dozen drug markets appeared in the Deep Web as soon as TSR went offline. Third, it creates an analogy between the War On Drugs that has been going on worldwide for the past 40 years (to negligible effect) and how moving it into the DW will prove useless, given the vastness of the realm and new crypto technology that will arise from those angry against the US agencies involved into hacking a foreign server without a warrant, literally with nobody bating an eye. Lastly, it gives depth to Ross Ulbricht as both a gentle person and a free spirited thinker who was a believer of applying free market rules and 21th century economics into the drug trade. The toll on his person, his family and friends is felt in the last part of the film, humanising Ross and those around him. Ross Ulbricht was a very, very naive fool?... most likely. As a physician who has seen first hand the long terms effects of recreational drugs on patients, and its deadly outcome in many cases, I can't condone or offer any sympathy to Ross as a Deep Web drug concierge. He's a criminal who happens to be a nice guy. However, I'm very much against the way the government built its case, essentially breaking international law and precipitating a whole new level of drug trade that won't be excised by shutting down one of thousands of drug markets that have appeared with the demise of Ross Ulbricht. Nobody wins. Nobody.
I have to say from the beginning, that I do truly hate the original Attack On Titan anime. But I do happen to love Japanese cinema, and was willing to give it a try, as many live-action adaptations take a very original take on their source material (like Death Note, Mushi-shi, Gantz and Rurouni Kenshin). I'm so glad that I did it. For starters, the story is now set in Japan (instead of Central Europe), the origin is told in less than 60 seconds, the focus of the story is now placed into another character (therefore the metaphysical/ideological/romance non-sense from the series was dropped altogether, along with the German names) and his main motivation was introduced in a way that it's totally credible. The Titans themselves are quite plausible as they come. There are clear objectives, set goals in the plot, without missing a beat. The movie doesn't even try to explain anything beyond the scope of the plot, and that's a blessing. Suddenly, the whole thing made sense, and ATOT became a stylish, visceral sci-fi horror movie, with plenty of action and very decent CGI (something that isn't common in Japanese live action adaptations, that are usually low-budget fare). What I like the most is the portrayal of the Titans, as they are surreal, menacing, but with a hint of sadness. I'll recommend you to enjoy this movie with an open mind, and embrace the visual chaos from the action scenes with a wicked grin. This movie rocks and kicks ass, for sure. I do respect that it dares itself to take a huge risk and create an original film and piss off the fans in the process. Now, I'm waiting for the second part (and the mini-series Attack On Titan: Beacon For Counterattack), something that I couldn't even fathom when I pressed the "play" button one hour and a half ago.
As far as The Marvel Cinematic Universe goes, this might be the best entry up to this moment. It builds up from IM3, T:TDW and (specially) CA:WS, and you might enjoy it even more if you watch those movies a few hours before to remind you a few facts. It has the same vibe and humour you might expect from Whedon's encyclopaedic Marvel-knowledge, yet something goes very awry (story-wise) just before the third act (you'll notice right away). Thankfully, the movie recovers and delivers at the very end, barely. Ultron - as a character - feels underdeveloped. and the stakes never feel as high as they might be. This is compensated with blockbuster-grade action sequences and VFX that make you forget that, but the main villain's demise feels like a huge disappointment. You never feel invested into Ultron's innermost tragedy (a flawed vision/programming that creates the whole conflict) that comes from Stark's cutting-corners attitude. This movie feels like an in-between chapter in a great story?: yes. It sets a proper tone for the upcoming Infinity War?: no. At the end, it doesn't really matter: you'll love it, and when you think about it later, it feels kinda hollow.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!.
Not a good movie, by far. Very predictable as the plot really is quite simple and many times makes no sense at all. Very cheesy and the ending is really a downer, quite depressive indeed. However, it has excellent shoot-them-up action sequences and it looks amazing on the screen. Really nice photography, make up and VFX. The moral of the story is - at least for me-, don't you dare to care for any of the characters. None of them. The documentary of the movie is way better than the movie itself.
It feels like a nice TV pilot episode, it has excellent action scenes and the acting is overall good. Michael B. Jordan does a decent job as a lead, and for a German movie, it's quite good. However it has nothing to do with Tom Clancy's novel, and that's a shame. Hope the follow up movie doesn't mess with the novel they mention in the after credits scene.
It's not as bad as I thought it would be, after all the behind the scenes drama. However, the plot isn't something to write home about. It was top-notch VFX's (the train sequence is THE BEST in the whole movie), and some good action sequences here and there, but I couldn't care any less about the whole story. The main characters are totally underdeveloped by the end of the film, and those I could care about to know more, are dead. It this was a pilot for a TV series about Han Solo, then it's on the spot, because you can take your jolly time to fully flesh out and develop those characters on subsequent episodes. But this is one of the most expensive films ever made, a long and irrelevant side-story in a franchise that it's already in deep trouble since The Force Awakens. Suddenly issues that weren't relevant to the original trilogy (like the hyperfuel) are now the center piece for social commentary and some twisted political agenda that I don't care about. If you haven't seen it, you might as well skip it and wait for it on cable or something.
A really eye-opening experience. The way it affects everyone who invest in the US stock market (even those who use "safe" mutual funds) is frightening for all of us who are old enough remember all those financial crashes that happened in the past 3 decades... and the next one is coming from China, that's for sure.
With a different cast, this premise could make up for a nice thriller. However, this isn't Capricorn One, and I couldn't shake my sense of disbelief: the cameras and tape recorders they show on frame, are all from different ages (the wrong ones), so is the clothing, vehicles, and the vocabulary is American-contemporary. There are a few sequences that are good, and made me keep watching, but the ending is a complete letdown. One tidbit: the front projection screen technique wasn't first used or developed by Stanley Kubrick. It has been around since 1949 and it was extensively used in the early 60's, so it's unlikely that bright film students (as the protagonist are meant to be) that love international cinema wouldn't be aware of it.
An excellent comedy, truly enjoyable, especially Joan Hackett's character. Actually, it feels pretty much like a modern TV pilot, as James Garner plays his character with the same easygoing manner as he did in "Maverick" (1957-62), and would reprise again in "Brett Maverick" (1981-82) and "Maverick" (1994). He was perfect for Westerns. This movie has a sequel of sorts, "Support Your Local Gunfighter", that I really recommend.
I remember quite well the "World's Finest" arc from the Superman Animated Series and decided to enjoy it once again. Excellent, even after all these years, and I must say it has aged well, mostly because an excellent voice cast and GOOD WRITTING. Better movie than BVSDJ.
The first time I saw this movie, it felt all wrong. 15 years later, it still feels a lot is missing. It's still a nice flick to watch over while on the plane or catch it on late night cable, but not something I would spend money to buy.
