tj0331

I won't say this is the next Star Wars or this is movie of the year. But it is my favorite movie from Snyder since Watchmen and I am excited to see part 2! I hope we get more after that. He is at least creating a new property. He is at least doing something original for his own work and even if it is a low budget Star Wars with more grit, I think that is its strength. Who wouldn't want this! And I know his name brings weight. I think if anyone else had directed it would be praised. Instead its being torn apart online and I don't get it. He brought us a badass sci fi movie for christmas and I am appreciative! I hope he sticks with space sci fi. It is suits him.

I've been preaching how Lucky is one of the most important filmmakers we have since I became obsessed with May. He can make films like no one else. Aside from his one co-directed film, All Cheerleaders, his movies have their own world and feel. Much like with the Woman. Old Man captures this too. It is not the film you expect it to be and for that it will go over many viewer's heads. I think it deserves multiple watches. Is he in purgatory? Is this an old man losing his grip on reality? I have more questions after watching the film and that is a sign of a great movie. I won't give away too much, but I will say this is probably geared more towards cinephiles. It could have been made in 1950 or today and been just as strong. It feels like a classic as do most of his movies. Another strong piece from Lucky!!

I had high hopes when I saw that Gaiman was involved. But all of that went out the window almost immediately. They changed characters completely in some cases!! And for no reason other than to try and please the herd. Gaiman said they "updated" some characters. More like ruined. It could have been a great series. In fact they could have wrapped everything up in once season had they planned better and maybe not force so many other things into the show. Dream actor was fine. That is a hard role to capture! My biggest complaints were them changing Death completely! I am all for adding black actors, the more the better. But at least stay true to the character! Why couldn't a black actress play goth? Would it have been that hard? I thought the actress did a fine job with it, but it was hard for me to see her as Death since they tried nothing to make her look like the character other than her wearing a necklace. And then we get to Constantine. They ruined the connecting character completely. Again, the actress did fine, but why change it from the book? They could have cast that nice actor from the other TV series. All in all if you read the comics over 20 years ago like I did just skip this mess. I had a feeling they would ruin it. Netflix kind of sucks at adaptations for the most part. I honestly hope they cancel this.

DC managed to bore me completely on this because of the writing. Action scenes were ok. FX were very good. Well directed even, but the plot is a trash fire of bad ideas. I hope I never find myself sitting through this again. I now hail this as the worst DC film. The ending was insane. This felt more like a knockoff harry potter movie than a superhero movie. All in all it was ok. But I expect better from them. It will be hard for them to recapture the success of Shazam and it seemed like they picked parts from that to use on this one but failed to live up to the more successful film. It felt like a drama that was force fed moments of comedy and magic to make it less of the romantic drama it was. If DC would just commit to making movies that were more fun I think they would be better all around. Damn you Mr. Nolan for making the broody DC universe that can't live up to its own mythos.

I watched the new Amazon remake of Utopia and really enjoyed it! I mean its really good! But the original is better to me. It is a shame they couldn't pick this up and get to season 3. I am not sure the remake will catch up to the greatness that the original has. Also the music!! the score is incredible!!! Hands down my favorite series I have found. I hope the US remake will do it justice overall and finish the story at least.

I never read the book the series is based on. I came into the show expecting too much with Mr. Peele as a producer. And honestly the first couple of episodes really had me drawn in. Then slowly the stories were spreading and getting worse and worse. Feeling so forced that it all fell apart to me. And the ending was barely able to wrap it up. It was messy. The acting is pretty good. The effects were ok most of the time. But the writing is what ruined the show. It could have gone so many other places and settled to be so hum drum and repetitive then predictive and ultimately completely disappointing. I really hope they do not give it a second season.

With everything going on a comedy about the world ending is perfect for the 2020 social climate. Well written, well acted, and just overall one of the funniest movies I have ever seen! I think it is a shame this was not funded more and gotten out. Both of the stars deserve to have all their wildest ideas financed in my opinion. What was funny was I added this in my que a while back. One day I stumbled across "The Selling" also starring Diani. It is also 100% amazing. When I realized it was the same guy from this film I watched this right away. This will remain one of my favorite movies for a long time.

First off I must admit I have no idea why this film is being slammed by reviewers online. Not that I take much stock in most reviewers. It seems like someone says one bad thing and everyone jumps on the band wagon. If you do not think Duncan Jones is an auteur then you just don't get film making. The man even made a compelling film out of the W.O.W. franchise! So seeing him run around his own created world again was like a breath of fresh air. I want more films set in this universe!!!! I want shows and whatever else Duncan can throw our way! Now the film itself is like a Sci-fi wet dream. It is a little sleazy in the best ways possible but never going overboard. The mystery is a good one. It really is like a great detective story. I would not even compare it to Blade Runner accept for the aesthetic quality. As apparently we all go full on neon in the future. I loved the main character. His injury causing him not to be able to speak made him a strong character. Go watch it!!!! I won't spoil anything other than to say that Paul Rudd probably gives his best performance I have ever seen him in. Support good Science Fiction so we get more!!!!

This sitcom is such a classic set up from the 90's, maybe even 80's sitcoms had such a feel that seems lost on most modern comedies. Not that it is out of date, the jokes are modern and sharp. Only three episodes in I really hope it gets a chance at repeat seasons. The star is funny as a stand up and it was kind of odd seeing some of his jokes turned into episodic punchlines, but not in a horrible way, just like ahh, I see what he did there. The female lead is odd, really really odd. I think she could be replaced and the show might find a new strength. Everybody else is pretty great. Martin Short is perfect as Lou. Overall a great show so far and I figure the rest of the season will get better. This seems like they are all (accept Short) are getting comfortable in their new roles.

Save yourself the time and just watch the original. My main complaint is the over use of CG. Sure I get it, fake CG turtles. They honestly were not the worst part. Shredder was an over hyped up joke to me. Some parts were fun. But, they could have done all this in similar fashion as the originals using real costume/puppet formation and had a much better outcome. I hope they scrap this franchise and try again with maybe the Henson company instead of Mr. Bay's production team which has its place, just not in the TMNT realm. It is a bad mix!!! With all these badass comic book films out why not pay homage to the original TMNT and make something dark and badass, it was a comic book first after all. I knew they would get it a little wrong, but I was expecting them to muck it up so much. I should have bought tickets to re watch GOTG instead.

I generally hate to compare one film to another, but this has a serious 'Blood Simple' vibe, which is amazing because they pull it off so well!! I think Jim Mickle is really coming into his own as a filmmaker. With 'We Are What We Are' I saw some real promise from him and his writer partner Nick Damici, and in 'Cold in July' they nail this atmosphere they are becoming excellent at creating. Which honestly most people can only try to imitate but with 'Cold in July' they bring it with such honesty that you feel very connected to the film almost instantly. I am anxious to see what Jim Mickle makes next. I think the suspense/action is a perfect mix for him.

Let me first state that I am a huge fan of Aronofsky's work. Noah falls more along the lines of the Fountain both visually and creatively. I was glued to my seat the entire film! The story was engrossing. While it seemed familiar it was almost equally foreign in content. Overall it is an Aronofsky film and not just a studio backed bible film. I was expecting something more gritty and less fantasy, but honestly the fantasy angle ended up being a big strength for the film. I can see why a lot of people online have given it poor reviews, they were expecting something boring and standard and were spoon fed art instead. Ignore the poor reviews and experience the film knowing you won't just be watching a few chapters out of the bible.

First off I want to say skateboarding has changed a lot since I was a teen skating daily like an addict. I always leaned more towards street tricks (grinds, jumps) so its amazing to see that street skating has blown up in this way. Now about the film. It is an amazing inside look at each skater. These guys practice and train non stop for these brief moments of perfection. It is intense to see the final contest watching these guys move sometimes like machines, and I mean that in a positive way. It was really touching and inspiring. Those guys (some barely kids) were impressive. I think a fan of any sport or dedication will enjoy the film.

The cast alone makes this movie very very enjoyable. I can compare it to the Scary Movie films, but its more intense and has more adult humor. Overall, a better version of the imitation comedy franchises. I love the reoccurring characters that sometimes feel like beating a dead horse in the most hilarious way possible. The tone is not for everyone. I would not watch it with my parents. But I would watch it with my younger brother and his friends. I am sure I will watch this a few more times with other people to spread it around. If you liked the State, Reno 911, and dark/evil tones this is a knockout comedy. I hope these guys continue making movies like this in the same way the Broken Lizard guys caught on.

Only God Forgives feels like a personal film from Refn. First let me say I enjoyed it immensely. I think any real fan of Refn's work will appreciate the film. I saw several reviews where it was obvious that the viewers did not understand the film or were just inexperienced film viewers. From interviews with Refn I was expecting a real trippy film and it certainly is that. He even said Gaspar Noe's work had inspired him lately. In my opinion it is almost an existential take on revenge. It is beautifully shot and that carries a lot of the film. Refn's style is part of why I am a fan of his. I will be watching it again soon to see if I process it differently. Far as the violence, I am not sure what people are complaining about. It is not over the top like a horror film but at times you get the sense that it could be a slow horror film. I think Refn has a defined idea of what he wants each film to feel like and he goes with it. I have to respect him for that. You cannot expect every film to be as successful as Drive was, but I also wonder if he made this film in response to that success.

I was somewhat excited by the premise and the list of actors involved, and I might have gone in viewing this film with too high of hopes. First off, it is a good movie. But there are several scenes that feel,...fake as hell. It was hard to tell who to blame at first, maybe the director? The story is good, the writer will not take the blame. And quite a few of the actors are some of my personal favorites, but there are always some details in many scenes that seem not well planned, or just horribly executed. I want to maybe call it lazy. Like they took one cut per scene and had nothing to pull from in editing. Possibly...I am not trying to be a snob, but I feel like one writing this review. I enjoyed the movie, but almost turned it off several times. And still Common, that boy cannot act... under poor direction. He can rap like a beast, but needs to understand his suppressed gentle tones makes it sound like he wants to get me drunk and seduce me, not interrogate a hard criminal. Ray was his usual self, he does the mafia type well. Forrest man, he got black guy horror movied out of there quick. Oh jeeze, there's a black guy in the building...just kidding, well half kidding. And finally my last complaint, is with f*&$in Vic Mackey and his god awful fake accent. Again, I blame the director and or writer. He said such stereotypical British lines that I wanted to stop watching it immediately. But I stuck it through. The ending is cool. It is hard to explain how I almost loathe this film and love it at the same time.

Time to square the debt-Billy Taggart. That line is sticking with me. I went in watching this movie expecting something solid and it went well beyond. Anything done by a Hughes brother is usually amazing. I was not sure how well they would work apart, but this was a knock out of the park for Allen! The level of expertise and professionalism was 10 out of 10. Acting is superb which is needed for drama and usually not carried out properly, but I never felt pulled out of the film by any acting or plot turns. Without giving anything away I do want to say I thought I had the film figured out and realized it was only half way through which let me know I had barely figured anything out. The tailspin of events that wrap up the story were borderline perfect. It has the grit of the action movies my father watched with me as a kid but it also has this layer of a complex drama. It is a strange mix that works in wondrous ways. This might be on my shelf of favorites for a while if not for good.

Derek Cianfrance has exceeded his own previous work with Place Beyond the Pines. It is a compliment by all means as his breakthrough feature Blue Valentine was very impressive. I mention this to say that if you are a fan then you will be more than impressed with this latest from Cianfrance. I think the way the film is executed is with the precision and grace of a seasoned veteran. The raw elements mixed with a specific set of camera styles give this an outstanding feel and look all the way through. Trying not to really give anything away here but what most impressed me was the layout of the story as it unfolds in three major acts. It is not often in film at all that the viewer gets to be thrown into a long stretching story that actually has a sense of constant continuity. I will be regarding this as a new favorite along with some legendary cinema. I hope the film earns the respect and even the awards it well deserves.

Bottom line I will say this was a great sci-fi/thriller piece. Which in itself is refreshing against most other overplayed genre movies. I will try and not give anything away. I went in as ignorant of the plot as I could be before viewing. So I was on the edge of my seat the entire film. It plays out well. Not for everyone of course, for example either of my parents would be uncomfortable trying to figure the film out. My only small complaint was a technical cinematography one so I won't even mention it, but overall the camera work was great! I would love to see what Shane could do with a slightly larger budget and maybe himself not starring. Amy was absolutely incredible in this film! Her performance is completely engrossing. The ending left me a little wanting. There were a couple characters in the film I would have liked to know more about. I guess his lack of telling is part of the experience. Overall, another great film from Mr. Carruth. I will continue to look forward to his projects.

I was excited to see this film after discovering the director in a group interview he did with other filmmakers. I think reading his interviews before seeing the film helped set the tone for me as well. Overall I think it is a brilliant movie. It screamed Kubrick tones to me throughout, which I enjoyed. It was not overbearing in that aspect, just tasteful shots that were long and clever that hearken all my favorite Kubrick moments. Now for the story, I think once you see the end it feels like a great story. I felt on edge wondering if the main character was developing how I thought he was. Little aspects slip here and there that made me think there would be no pay off, but it felt solid all together. I think this filmmaker should have an interesting career ahead of him. I am excited to see his next feature after reading the premise.

This film was a treat for me. Previous to watching I read all the interviews I could find with the director and from those I had built a sense of what to expect in terms of how he cared about this film. It is hard to classify it as a genre. I can give two comparisons to other film makers that really made me recall their taste constantly in this film. That would be early Lynch and early Cronenberg. I think that other creative people should adore this movie. The beauty is more in the feel and craftsmanship than the story. The story itself is more of a surreal journey. I look forward to seeing what Calvin Reeder creates for us in the future.

I will admit that I had to re watch the first episode again to really get into it but I think the comedic timing is pretty dead on. The plot seems to fall secondary to the jokes which does not really work against enjoying the show. I think if you are not into it right away give it a second chance. Each episode seems to the top the one before. I was really shocked by the actor they chose for the neighbor, but he is really amazing! I never knew how versatile he could be as a comedic actor. I will be looking for whatever he does next. If you like Will Arnett in anything this show is for you. He is a great comedic presence and I hope that he is allowed to helm more projects.