Like so many JCVD films, it appears to be written by a team of 12 year olds. It's partially set in a hospital ER and partly in an FBI interrogation room, yet I don't think any of the writers had ever spoken to a doctor or someone in law enforcement before. Showing just the intro scenes admitting the people to ER would have had doctors rolling their eyes.
"Prioritize people! Victims with vitals first! No heartbeat, no treatment!" says what appears to be he only doctor in the place.
Fair film for the first two acts, kept hanging around to see what happened. Good performance by Reeves and Zellweger. Maybe not their best, but solid. I'm not sure what Mbatha-Raw's part in the film was supposed to be, but her part in the released film has zero impact. She's a good actor, but her character wasn't given anything to do but deliver a lukewarm questioning to one witness.
As for the surprise at the end? I've never liked thrillers that have the big "surprising" reveal that the butler defense attorney did it, despite there being no real evidence presented in the film. It went from mediocre and largely forgettable to stupid and insulting with the non-guilty verdict and the attorney client meeting.
I think I'd lock this film in my Disappointments Room. Unresolved story elements, surprise characters with no backstory or resolution, TV Movie Of The Week elements. A fair number of people lost bets where their forfeit was appearing in this film.
Wanted the walkers to eat Costner's head so this mess would wrap up sooner.
The ending isn't "ambiguous" as the film makers assert in the commentary. It's lazy. They didn't know what the Hell they were doing with the story. Ramble ramble ramble, we're getting too long quick! Go to black!
I was less than impressed initially with Paul's revealing all the people he's killed as he prepares to do away with the man who's been holding him hostage.
Then, the odd lack of evidence and the back-and-forth with the officers...
Then the real ending.
Not bad, showing the false ending as a bit pulpy, whether intentional or not, it worked.
Predictable, unsympathetic characters written so shallow, less than caricatures.
Felt a good 45 minutes too long, and that's impressive for a film with less than 90 minutes of story.
Yeah, we get it, his pal is dead. Stop beating us up with it.
Jet contrails during the civil war shots?
Confederate soldier with a gold stud ear ring
Gravity all OVER that space station, weird shots aside.
Shaving stubble flying around loose in the ISS.
Too much mumbling.
This isn't about the protagonist going crazy, it's about dragging the audience with him.
Just finished watching, and I've already forgotten about it.
So Made-For-TV, it smells.
Rejected tagline: "Lead poisoning's a bitch."
"Fuck my best boots, I'm filled with wonder."
It's very much a "Made in Vancouver, made for TV" film.
There are some good performances hiding here, but they're largely irrelevant. It's not even a little bit subtle, with 30 minutes of story stretched past the breaking point.
I have forgotten the contents of this movie.
Largely pointless. There's a chase sequence where I just want the heroes to smash into a building and bring everything to a merciful ending.
How little can I care about the characters in a film? Uninspired Westworld wannabe with little plot or performance of note.
Sounds like Netflix has the option on a 10 episode series 2 follow-up, but nothing concrete.
The girl playing Kayo nails her part during the birthday scene. Her combination of awe and gratitude at her friends' generosity is devastating.
Interesting first and second act, then it kind of forgot where it was going and flopped around before dying about 10 minutes before the credits rolled. An "A" for effort, and a "C+" for delivery.
Little more than an adolescent rape fantasy. More thought went into the synopsis than into the script.
A film of schadenfreude with not nearly enough about the tulip market as I expected. It's little more than a McGuffin to insert some hard luck into stupid peoples' lives. I'm not sure if Sophia was meant to be completely unlikeable and one dimensional, but if that was the intent, mission accomplished. The Maria and Willem ending was about the only possible one that wouldn't have felt completely false,
yet... nobody wins in this film, least of all the audience.
The trouble with anthologies connected story films like this? There's always one or two that are really bad, often feel wedged in...
Like the incredibly stupid middle with the emergency room. Dumb dumb dumb.
Haunted by a ghost, then by a ghosthunter. Keeps seeming like it's going somewhere, never really does.
Film includes the line "Space Honky"
Yeah.
Yeah, and then the two survivors spend time in prison on conspiracy charges, interfering with bodies, etc. May as well finish the story at that point.
Side characters added without any reason - did the film maker owe favours to the actors playing family and Ben? They serve no purpose in the film at all.
Helen Rogers provided about the only believable character portrayal in the whole thing. The red and black poster for the film was better than the other two women's acting.
It was alright for what it was. Which was "a bunch of misfits save the world against all expectations." It felt like a TV pilot, thoug, with characters introduced that really didn't add anything to the story but who might be useful in future episodes.
Poor Igor, though. What a horrible birthday.
The "girl fight" was pointless, as was the surprise reveal that the "bad girl" had a past with one of the team.
I was able to suspend disbelief about the tech things until the final bit where the USB drive falls and is "destroyed" by losing its metal shielding. That, however was a minor annoyance compared to the "let's just hook up these CAT 5 cables across the room for... reasons...
"It was a tragedy. I mean, we lost 19 of our best guys."
Nanjiani can be hit or miss, but he's pretty much at the top of his game here.
I love watching films like this where I haven't read a review or synopsis for it, and I was basically hit by the brick of the Big Sick. I'd assumed it was a metaphorical sickness in the title.
Then, I get to the end and SHUT THE FUCK UP, THERE'S A REAL EMILY? Excellent script. Well done film, fantastic performances.
What is it with these ports that stack their cargo containers to form mazes?
Also, what's the point of a count-down timer on the guy you're killing? It's as stupid as the bright red light on the bomb you place under a truck. It serves no purpose.
The Cloverfield Trolley Problem
Would you kill 3 people to save billions?
"This is not your average party."
Something about this reminds be of Lanthimos' Dogtooth, though lacking anything of a linear structure. What's dream, what's solitude or drug-induced figment? Who cares?
This is one of those films to see, but not so much to re-watch.
Lame lame lame lame. Lame.
Saw this comment on Shudder - stupid fake comb-over bald...
"I worked on this movie and we know, we know, about the bald head... it makes him look like Baby Huey from those old comic books. The weird thing is that he's ACTUALLY shaved, it's not a bald-cap! But what makes it look weird is the way it's such a clean , straight line around his otherwise shaggy head, like he's given himself a "Friar Tuck". It doesn't look natural at all, but like he's some hipster who just doesn't give a fuck. And It's the ridiculous little top wisps he's got, too. UGHHH. Believe me when I say it shanks us every time we look at the finished film."
