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Trap (2024)
The final twist was to deceive everyone who expected to see a good film.
Unbearably boring.
This Shyamalan film started from a good premise. Despite the somewhat frivolous plot, excessive time wasted in a single environment and the permanent feeling of imbecility on the part of the police and employees, it still maintained interest.
But when the plot inexplicably left the gym, the director fell into the same shallow traps as any second-rate director.
And the film became boring and fell apart with each new scene that appeared on the screen, until it reached a trivial ending, without emotion or creativity and more boring. Completely disappointing. Rate 5.0 with great goodwill. M. Night could much much more than that. And I hope they don't come up with a sequel to this.
The Strangers: Chapter 1 (2024)
Idiots deserve to die for their usual stupid decisions.
This The Strangers Chapter 1 was already horrible and Chapter 2 is so bad it hurts.
It starts by following a premise that has already been filmed I don't know how many times. "A group of psychopaths/criminals invade a house (in a remote place, in the middle of the forest, near a lake, you choose) and terrorize
a couple (or family) on vacation".
The theme itself is already very boring. I don't like it.
But how many times have you read that in a synopsis?
And obviously this has been filmed before in a much more qualified way than this one.
The first The Strangers with Liv Tyler was already a pain in the ass and predictable. The following ones, without her, could naturally only make things worse. A rate of 1 for both.
Uglies (2024)
A certain desire to be "Hunger Games" and "Divergent", but the result is Inferior.
"Uglies" is a film adaptation of Scott Westerfeld's book series. The premise of the film revolves around a dystopian society where young people undergo surgery to become "perfect" when they reach adulthood, similar to the concept of "The Hunger Games" and "Divergent", which also explore themes of futuristic societies and control systems.
The problem is that the film has an inferior production and cast compared to these other franchises, which is reflected in generic special effects and a large number of exterior shots. This was probably due to differences in budget and casting choices. It was a good attempt, with great effort from the cast and director, but the result is just ok.
Fringe (2008)
Wonderful SciFi series.
I was rewatching Fringe and I really loved watching it again. Very much so.
Despite some sins, such as the emotional fragility in the interpretation of Joshua Jackson and Anna Torv, in scenes where emotion was mandatory, especially on Torv's part. His mannerisms, even his gait, were also quite uncomfortable. This later improved a little, but in the 5th season the coldness and apparent disinterest appeared in full force. Still, overall, the level of the plot, very well stitched, the safe direction, with few holes, and, mainly, the prodigious interpretation of John Noble, simply magnificent, Lance Reddick and Blair Brown, kept the series always balanced and a high level of interest.
Another point of great interest for me, I don't deny it, was the father-son relationship with Noble and Jackson, especially thanks to the emotional charge offered by Noble's talent. This moved me at times, reminding me a lot of my own relationship with my son.
In the end, I thought the show was very good. Lots of interesting, if superficial, scientific information and reminiscent of The X-Files, but without the incredible charisma and chemistry of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson.
Too bad it only lasted 5 seasons. Good SciFi series are rare. This one really won me over.
Vivarium (2019)
Almost total rubbish.
Keep these names close: Garrett Shanley and Lorcan Finnegan and avoid anything where their names appear.
But let's be honest: just take a quick look at the list of films by these guys and see what they rate. They're all very weak films, all "meeh" films. That explains a lot.
A film about two young people who are looking for a house in a real estate agency and are taken to a kind of condominium that they can't get out of, kidnapped by a sadistic entity that never explains exactly its reasons.
The beginning actually catches your attention a little. But as it progresses, the complete absence of logical ideas (or precisely the authors' desire not to present any ideas) deflates the bubble of interest. In the end, you're left with a bag of rubbish in your hands without understanding why. A movie without any morals, nor objectives, nor reason for being. Complete waste of time.
It's almost 97 minutes of empty torture for any poor soul who has ventured into this tour promoted by two smug film makers who have never made anything worthwhile.
In addition, it's a huge waste of Imogen Poots' talent and Jesse Eisenberg's effort, struggling to give some legitimacy to one of the most boring and unsympathetic scripts I've seen recently. A plot that you can put in a bag and throw in the trash.
Three stars for Imogen and Jesse and for the good start, which fooled me.
Das Signal (2024)
Good German series
Good German series. Unfortunately very short. It deserved at least two more episodes with better plot development. Maybe there was a lack of money for production or creativity. Anyway, I really liked the story, the premise, the development and the characters. Very committed actors. Highlight for the girl Yuna Bennett, who puts on a great performance. The directors only sinned in wasting excessive time on somewhat unnecessary dramas and sensualities, and some really insipid frivolities, when they could have focused more on action, suspense and the search for a solution to the mystery.
Still, the series delivers well on what it set out to do and its utopian message.
Sound of Freedom (2023)
Strong theme, but execution just ok.
It's a good film, I liked it. But it is a work without anything special. I believe that most people who gave high rates were betrayed by the emotions provoked by the heavy topic. The script tries hard, but there's nothing spectacular here.
Look, I'm not criticizing the theme, which is very serious and makes me feel nauseous, but the artistic aspect, script and direction.
So, from the point of view of rhythm and direction, it is a fragile work, with an irregular cadence. It starts off very well, with good police action and shocked reactions from the agents, but unfortunately that's it. The character development is very fragile. The emotional line is restrained, given the nature of the theme.
With the exception of some "tearful" dialogue, there is no commotion. Perhaps to save the director and cast work, the editing attempted to immerse the viewer sentimentally in the plot through the introduction, where several real videos of images involving children are presented in sequence, which already have a strong emotional impact. But in development this emotion rarely appears. Even the main character's relationship with his wife feels artificial. The father of the victim girl appears to be under the influence of medication and appears little.
There is very little action, sometimes the pace is slow and the cast seems uninvolved at certain times. Everything is done in a very bureaucratic way, without surprises. At several moments I had the feeling that something could have gone further, but the director was satisfied.
Then the film continues to its predictable end, without any clash, emotion or action. Everything is very pamphlet and cold.
The only thing that really stands out is the seemingly real emotion that Caviezel brings to his role. Other than that, it's an ok film, dealing with a good premise and a necessary theme, but in a trivial way. And the material asked for much more.
Last Seen Alive (2022)
Only Gerard Butler saves it.
We spent more time highlighting the absurd holes in the script of this film than we did watching it.
It's almost unbelievable to see every minute how the scriptwriters just threw this story together, without any concern for development or the slightest care for the most obvious details
So, we have the world's most boring and unprepared detective, who, instead of doing his job, prefers to play psychiatrist, the world's most innocent wife and her parents, the world's most clueless and a husband who is somewhat distracted when his wife leaves, but who faces the dog world alone, unarmed. It's a lot to take in.
It's like "writing a page of the script every sunrise" to see if it works.
It's still possible to get to the end, but the only thing that saves the film is the always well-meaning and dedicated work of Gerard Butler, who always gives the impression that he's really living through the whole hellish situation.
Forst (2024)
Everything was going perfect, until the final 10 minutes.
This series has an excellent premise, a very interesting and solid development, a severe amount of violence, a cunning villain, relatively well-developed characters, a fluid and tense script, good actors, good performances, atmosphere and photography that are always heavy and suffocating, in other words the almost perfect recipe. At times it even reminded me of Seven.
But the ending is absolutely disappointing. I even think that the final scene was written on purpose to leave a hook for a second season. However, I believe that if there is, it will be clear that everything would be resolved with one more episode, not an entire season. It would give a rate of 7, but with that ending, 6 is enough.
Some screenwriters need to be humble and remember that sometimes less can be more.
Leave the World Behind (2023)
It's all about reflecting on the superficial society we live in and not scares and easy explanations.
This film will disappoint fans who basically don't want to think too much. Those who want everything explained, obvious, clear and explicit.
It seems to me that this film is not about truisms. It's a matter of reflection. Perhaps its intention is precisely to force people to question themselves about this blind and alienating individuality that takes over everyone, to the point that people prefer to stay glued to their cell phones or TV screens all day, rather than have more interaction with their family members. . or the people around. The film shows this and the final scene clearly symbolizes this message. Pay attention to the scene. It's all there. There are still other issues to be addressed in this reflection: narrative control, absolute dependence on technology, little concern with the search for correct information. But something tells me that most people will think that nothing in this film makes sense, that there are clear gaps in the narrative, but the answers are all there. The premise is excellent, tense, mysterious, suffocating and scary in that nothing is known about what happens. But the easy answer to these questions never comes, never! It's because that's not the idea, it's not to make it easier to understand. It is precisely to invite the viewer to reflect. And it's good that we start to reflect, because we are heading towards chaos, towards the collapse of society, but few are paying attention. Rate 7.0.
American Horror Story: Election Night (2017)
This season was very good.
This season was very good. An excellent portrait of the situation that the USA experienced shortly after Trump's election and the paranoid and hateful behavior that took over the average and/or ignorant American. The country really went crazy. And it hasn't improved much 7 years later, since whoever succeeded him, Biden, a weakling, hasn't improved the lives of the 36 million Americans who live in extreme poverty today. After all, his focus is solely on enriching the weapons industry. That said, we have this season of AHS dealing with the topic in a very convincing and faithful way, showing how irresponsible politicians can indoctrinate a large part of a population, especially those Intellectually unprepared for a civilized debate and understanding of political contexts. Once again Sarah Paulson delivers a great performance, with great help from the excellent Evan Peters and Adina Porter. Apart from that, we have the "AHS brand" section, the graphic violence that always excites, despite trying very hard to link fictional violence to political issues. Still worth it. My average rating for the season is 8.
Paradise (2023)
It's OK, but it could have been so much better.
This movie had everything to be great. The premise was good, to say the least, the beginning was exciting, the performances committed and the course chosen pointed in the direction of something really prosperous.
In addition, the ethical issues raised by a group called Adam, which violently opposes the shady methods of manipulating the life span of the poor in exchange for money , run by the AEON company, are extremely valid and provide material for a realistic reflection on a possible future that lies ahead of our time. In fact, this discussion would have been the best thing in the movie if the script had gone down this road.
But halfway through the movie the script becomes a seesaw with so many ups and downs. The story loses its breath and becomes a little lame. It improves a little with the reappearance of the terrorist core Adam, adding some action to the lukewarm script, but it falls off again with poor script choices as the film nears its climax.
When personal moral dilemmas that don't quite fit appear out of nowhere, things turn lukewarm again and the movie goes downhill again. And so it goes until the end. It's not bad and keeps the interest, but good wasted characters and an undefined script about where it wants to go, partially spoil what could have been great. In the end, it leaves a slight hook for a possible continuation.
The Nursery (2018)
Terrible!
What a bad movie! Jesus Christ! I only watched this because of my wife who watches any horror movie, no matter how bad it is. But for me it was torture.
I'm not going to give spoilers, I'll just say that the direction is weak, the actors are terrible, the dialogues are worthy of 12 year olds, the characters are totally stupid and without initiative, there are no scares, no terrifying atmosphere, nor suggestions that leave you terrified. Just boredom.
The script is completely sterile, with no logical line and completely predictable. In fact, it seems to have been written day after day, during filming, as the writers came up with new bad ideas, as if they were putting together a puzzle with all the wrong pieces. Really weak.
Orphan: First Kill (2022)
Boring, predictable and quite annoying movie.
Extremely boring, predictable, quite irritating film that permanently carries the "problem" of the existence of the first film with a chronology later than this one. The whole time we are reminded of the protagonist's visible aging, which reinforces the question: why the hell did they make this film 13 years after the first one? It is totally unjustifiable. The answer is easy: money, the hunt for a few nickels through streamings. Nothing more.
In addition to all this, due to this chronological reversal, everyone already knows what will not happen.
Also, the scripting solutions are pathetic. It includes, for example, an experienced policewoman dominated by a woman half her size. And then there are the typical inexplicable but obviously purposeful oversights and absurd situations in the narrative that only serve to justify the plot holes that lead to the ridiculous final scene.
A complete disaster. The curious thing is that the direction is reasonably good, the actors give themselves to their roles and struggle to deliver a decent work, but the fragile script spoils everything. The first movie would be more than enough.
Inside Man (2022)
It started off great, but very quickly descended into a black hole.
In 33 minutes my interest in this series plummeted. It started out great. A brave intervention by someone on a subway, confronting a juvenile delinquent whose future will be hell. Beauty, perfect! I loved. I rubbed my hands.
But then comes the next scene , and along with a lack of talent and a lot of presumption from the writer or director, who thinks he can invade my TV with stupid plots, some of the worst characters I've ever seen in my life and trying to treat the people who watch like imbeciles.
It was anticlimactic and pissed me off. I really don't have time to waste on nonsense. An idiotic script or an idiotic character we understand, but both at the same time, it's too much.
I only regret the waste of talent of great actors like Stanley Tucci, David Tennant and Dolly Wells. Ultimately, I didn't like it. And I don't even want to know how it will be from the 34th minute.
Homeland (2011)
Falsified portrayal of a much crueler reality
About the series? At first, it looked almost spectacular. But as you progress, the defects appear. First it successively presents a number of absurd plot holes, some so pathetic unbelievable sequences, and certain insufferable and extremely dumb characters. Also, to watch this series you need a particular dose of patience with the protagonist Carrie Mathison, one of the most dubious roles I've ever watched. A CIA agent who wouldn't get that job in a thousand years, due to the very serious neurological problems she carries. Even so, in addition to the job, she easily manages to get a position as Chief of Station, even though she maintains an untouchable record of disobedience, insubordination, indiscipline and outrageous decisions. This would not be accepted even in a micro family company, let alone in the CIA. However, she never gets her guesses wrong and for that the CIA always forgives her. How is this possible? Because the madness of this series' plot allows for that. In time: despite the mountain of mistakes in behavior and procedures, she never apologizes.
Also, she's one of the most villainous characters in the history of spy movies. She is capable of selling her own daughter to get the information she needs and carry out her plans.
That aside, overall, thanks mainly to the good work of Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin and Damian Lewis, the series mostly provides ok fun and holds interest.
But I can't watch a movie or series on this topic without being extremely critical and without analyzing the real context of the facts that gave rise to the plot. Although it is a fiction, the plot does not treat the subject with the necessary seriousness. It blatantly take sides, turning the spy agency into the head of all the "great" diplomatic actions in the world. This is completely unrealistic, at least for those who know the story. It's impressive how this series offers us this kind of falsified narrative in such a fluid and almost perversely explicit way. Sadly, it is a portrait of the world we are forced to live in. Full of fear, hate, injustice, pain and false goodwill.
The Bling Ring (2022)
The series is about a thief recounting his crimes and narrating the mediocrity of his life.
This series is about the cheap thieves of Los Angeles who wanted to be rich and famous without working. All at the expense of others. It's an exercise in patience to watch for 3 hours this insignificant, boring, mocking and arrogant thief Nick Prugo, proudly talking about his "accomplishments", as if he had discovered the cure for cancer. As well as victimist Alexis Neiers. It's almost unbelievable, but it's actually quite depressing. Thieves who became celebrities and who were treated with unbelievable complacency by justice. As for the series, it's just out of curiosity, but Nick's disgusting way is boring and annoying. And the series is just that: a thief recounting his crimes and narrating the mediocrity of his life, plus a bunch of low profile cartoon characters, pseudo showbiz celebrities, and so on. There's even a guy named Perez Hilton. That sounds like a joke. Netflix could have done better and treated these people like criminals, which is what they are. And the Justice of Los Angeles should be ashamed of itself and punish bad people as they should be punished.
In the end, something that partly saves the series, is the lucid speech of Nick's second Lawyer. Serves as a good reflection.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Funny movie. Nothing else. Best Movie Oscar? Never!
I finally watched this movie. And I've watched it heavily influenced by the awards and the buzz around it. So when I started, my expectations were huge, although I had no idea what I was going to watch.
The synopsis read: "a Chinese immigrant gets involved in a crazy adventure where she can only save the world by exploring other universes". Well, I was already expecting something that would draw on physics and embark on the science fiction genre.
And that's it, and it's a lot more, but it's all a little confusing and kind of chaotic. It's too close to those American Jack Chan movies. Of course, there will be those who love it, but I've been a movie buff for over 50 years and I'm not carried away by the excitement of the masses. I have a critical sense.
Therefore, I watched the 1st 1 hour and 40 minutes of film, but without ever marveling. The most I felt was a lot of curiosity.
In the end I gave it a 7 because of Michele Yeoh's magnificent performance and the last 40 minutes, which are truly redeeming from a human and emotional point of view, but that would never justify favoritism for the Oscar for Best Picture, as I've seen. But Michele might win Best Actress.
Ragnarok (2020)
The potential was huge, but....
This series had incredible potential in the beginning. And it really started well. The environmental issue mixed with the mythological thing had great omen. So what do creative geniuses do? They kill off one of the best characters in the series up to that point. Right away, this made the mood of the series plummet. You don't need to have a screenwriting course to know that you don't kill the best character in the first episode of a series or at the beginning of a movie.
Even so, the series manages this missed "penalty" well and progresses, thanks to the mythological plot. And only that and the permanent climate of confrontation between the main character and his antagonists manage to keep the interest, because the scriptwriters keep sabotaging themselves.
Poor dialogues, unbelievable holes in the script, with sequences without any sense, which obviously would not occur in the real world, absolutely alienated characters (like the mother of the protagonist, possibly one of the worst characters in the history of cinema), leave the impression that the script it feels like it was written by a teenager who lacked ideas for completing basic dialogue or better ideas for context. There are many loose ends. For example, the city's water is totally contaminated, but the factory does not receive any fines, nobody is arrested and the factory remains open. In fact, it all sounds a little superficial, even a little unreal, since strange things happen and nobody notices anything. There is very little depth.
However, despite all this, it is still possible to remain interested, due to the clash between the forces of good and evil and the natural curiosity about how it will all end. But the somewhat hollow development leaves something to be desired overall.
The Empty Man (2020)
Do more like this.
This is a great horror movie. I even think it deserves a much higher rate than 6.2. "Cinema em Fuga", a YouTube channel from Brazil brought me here. Reviewing this movie on this channel impacted me in a matter of minutes. So much so that I didn't even go to the end to avoid spoilers. And how worth it! The film is long, but the first 22 minutes, one of the longest and most necessary intros I've ever seen, instantly captures you. The final scene of this intro is disturbing and extremely well done. The break in rhythm from this point, which completely changes the direction of the film, does not let you lose interest. On the contrary. The tension and sense of suffocation only grows as the film progresses. However I felt a little lack of explanation for the logic of the curse that will come next.
Furthermore, it loses a bit of steam towards the end, and the conclusion feels a little rushed, but it's still a guarantee of fun. Excellent performance by James Badge Dale and a well-crafted and intelligent script. Totally recommend.
I Came By (2022)
Lazy director and weak ending.
The movie has a really interesting premise and it starts off well. Along with that, it offers, in principle, the possibility of a slightly critical approach to the living conditions of immigrants, it goes through the colonialism theme, but it is all treated in a very superficial way. Then, the direction goes to the plot itself. But the director, apparently out of laziness, opts for easy solutions, without any subtlety, nor greater surprises or creativity, taking little advantage of the thread that offered the possibility of a more elaborate and intelligent ending. In addition, there are obvious holes in the direction of the plot and the script treats the viewer like an idiot. The end result is mediocre.
Si no t'hagués conegut (2018)
It starts well, but it gets boring.
This series got off to a good start and has positive aspects: it's romantic, sensitive and has two attractive premises - the possibility of going back in time and fixing the present and the theory of parallel universes. But it is precisely these premises that bring problems to the series. The main character's comings and goings in time, his irritating difficulty being clear with people within each universe he visits, his inability to conform to fate and his absurd vocation to always make the worst decisions, make him a boring character. , at times almost unbearable. In fact, the script lacks smarter solutions. The series drags on for a long time longer than necessary, due to the idiotic solutions that the protagonist takes. And they repeat scenes too much, from different angles, I really don't know for what purpose.
In the end, it's good fun until mistakes, script exaggerations and bad performances start popping up on the screen.
Death of Me (2020)
Poor Maggie, drowned in confusing script and weak dialogue
This movie has an interesting premise, but it's a hell of a mess. It all revolves around a couple of American tourists, on vacation on some beach in a Thai community, who have been chosen by a bunch of local fanatics, for some ritual from hell. The plot is easily predictable, although the suspense keeps the attention. The problem is that the director is weak, without ideas, unconcerned with any script logic or intelligent dialogue.
It seems to me that he tries to use the same drug on the spectators given to the protagonists and expects everyone to be hallucinated to endure the film until the end. So scenes overlap in no order, like a steamroller with no brakes, and you have to find a way to put things in place on your own. With 15 minutes to go, you finally get an explanation. But at this point all you want is a quick escape from this disaster. I'll spare the dedication of the brave Maggie Q, who in the midst of this mess does her best to get the message across that the film is somehow serious.
Prey (2022)
The movie is pure fun.
Great fun. Low rates aren't justified.
Good representation of Comanche culture, good performances and great atmosphere of action, mixed with others of supreme contemplation of the natural scenery . The bloodthirsty effects are nice, but the use of CGI unbalances the experience a bit. But it doesn't even remotely spoil the fun.
Actress Amber is extremely graceful in her impetuous and courageous role. I'm a fan of the Predator saga and I'm extremely happy with the brand's recovery. I expect more at this level.
Feria: La luz más oscura (2022)
Starts well but disappoints episode after episode
The plot is interesting and pretentious, but several caricatured performances, confusing script and bad effects leave the result far below expectations.