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Reviews
Secret Life of a Dominatrix (2024)
The ending saves it.
It's mediocre, but I expected it to be terrible.
Dee is a decent actress. The lead is fine. Her husband is terrible. And the rest are made for tv movie actors.
Ending is kinda fun. But overall, this is a movie for when you're doing something else on the side.
Repeat.
It's mediocre, but I expected it to be terrible.
Dee is a decent actress. The lead is fine. Her husband is terrible. And the rest are made for tv movie actors.
Ending is kinda fun. But overall, this is a movie for when you're doing something else on the side
Repeat
It's mediocre, but I expected it to be terrible.
Dee is a decent actress. The lead is fine. Her husband is terrible. And the rest are made for tv movie actors.
Ending is kinda fun. But overall, this is a movie for when you're doing something else on the side.
Dead Boy Detectives (2024)
Lockwood User Review comparison flawed
After reading all the reviews comparing this to Lockwood, I wouldnt base your enjoyment of this series on these comparisons. I also think there's some attachment bias when they state Lockwood is better. It was first, and they're probably a little aggravated, understandably so, that their series was cancelled and Dead Boy isn't filling the gap of unfinished business or story completion they're yearning for. And I agree. Cancelling good series is frustrating.
They can be forgiven for making the comparison, since at the very base the comparison is tempting due to the ghost theme and the makeup of the team. But the similarities end there.
Dead Boy Detectives (dbd) is fantasy based. Witches, faeries, elementals, gods, etc
Lockwood is more horror / ghost focused.
Dead Boy is current day, mystery focused. Detectives rather than investigators
Lockwood is more dystopian future focused. They're more agents fighting a war than detectives. I would argue that there are plenty of movies that do Lockwood theme. It's not at all unique.
Dead boy is more light hearted
Lockwood focuses more on tense scenes and dread.
Dead boy characters are more likeable. I really haven't grown to like any of the Lockwood main characters. And I find the acting in Lockwood can frequently be a bit stilted. Not terrible, but just enough to give the edge to Dead Boy on acting/directing. It's more fluid, and the characters that come across as stilted, feel purposefully directed that way as part of their character awkwardness. I also find Lockwood really stretches to justify doing the work at night when if all they have to do is locate the source, would be much more reasonable during the day.
All in all, I dont really find these series similar at all other than the paranormal theme and trio of characters. And even then, there's massive differences.
The Devil Conspiracy (2022)
Not a fun time
Anyone saying this is just a fun popcorn movie has an extremely low bar. The special effects are mainly constrained to the intro sequence and then we're just forced to sit through two hours of the priest possessed by Micheal running around with a shotgun in a laughably low budget, horribly acted production that doesn't even meet 1980s television quality,
I'm all for not being too hard on movies that just aim to entertain. But there is very little entertainment value to be had here. This is nothing like "the prophecy" or even remotely close to any of its sequels , I was drawn in by reviews saying that it wasn't great but was entertaining .. I was also drawn in by the trailer that grossly misrepresents the near entirety of the film. Just don't waste your time.
The Creator (2023)
Hamfisted, moronic waste of time
Visually nice. But even there, it didn't take full advantage of the visuals it sets up.
The rest is garbage. One dimensional characters. No real protagonist. Ridiculous Disneyesque "villians". Apparent heroes who nuked a city of innocent people. Moronic military who can't figure out how to kill a child, even when it's right in front of them, or even end a threat until it's too late (even though they apparently could have done either at any point in the film, but they incoherently choose not to). No air support for some odd reason. Cartoonish dialogue and situations.
It's just a head shaker. So much is just frustratingly bad scripted, it's incomprehensible how the script writers couldn't have seen how ridiculous and non sensical it was.
Find a Youtube that shows the "pretty" scenes and just skip the rest. Read a spoiler...it will be much less frustrating and respectful of your time.
65 (2023)
Better than Jurassic Park franchise.
Excellent:
Aesthetic
Art direction
Locations
Acting
Visual effects
Creature effects (especially their skin textures and movements)
Lighting. Inky dark in all the right places. Nice contrast in others. Not using terrible filters to wash away color. A good screen will serve you well on this movie.
Creepiness if you're into that type of thing. Bug phobias beware.
Concept of when this movie is set is fantastic. Witness to one of the most important events in prehistoric history.
Not sure why this film is so poorly rated. It's not trying to do too much which I find a plus. Maybe people expected more plot and backstory. The characters were mainly a vehicle for the adventure, but still fleshed out enough to make you care about them.
The young actress is excellent. And the screaming and squealing are well muted by the director, so wont get on parents' nerves.
The only fail on this movie is the very beginning with how the ship ends up crashing. That's a bit of a stretch, but the rest of the movie well makes up for this one failing.
Star Trek: Picard: The Last Generation (2023)
Excellent bones, not the best writing, directing, or execution
Warning: there are minor spoilers here if you haven't watched the episodes leading up to this episode. But if you have watched those episodes, there's nothing hear that would surprise you:
To start, I love what they did here. I think the bones are excellent. And the reintroduction of a familiar ship is really a nice throwback. I wish they would go back to the comfortable, well lit bridge styles of that generation.
I didn't find the characters to be as endearing as they were in the 80s series. The acting was a bit wooden, dialogue just felt like it was written by writers slightly too young, and directing that wasn't able to bring it together well.
All the nods to the 80 series were there. The ideas were perfect. The outline of the story was excellent. The idea of how the Borg have decided to evolve and assimilate was ingenious.
But the characters just felt slightly off. Either an exaggeration of their former selves as in the case of Riker, Picard, and Warf. Or they were watered down versions as in the case of Laforge and Troy.
Dr Crusher felt off. But I guess that was intentional. I just wish we had seem some of her former self come though in the epilogue after the dust settled.
Data was quite well done. Especially the scenes with him and Troy.
Part of this is likely we dont get to see the full range and breadth of their character like we could in TNG series. But part was just Stewarts acting style has changed significantly. Some was the reading of the lines felt wooden, especially the banter between Warf and Riker. It was all the right ideas, just not the same naturalness as with TNG.
But as mentioned, they didn't have a lot of time to get back into character and their roles. I remember when Stewart first appeared as Picard in the 80's, many of the critics said his acting was wooden and he would fall over like a board if you pushed him. He grew into the role to become the best captain in the history of the show.
7 of 9 has lost a lot of interest to her character since she doesn't struggle with her borg side any more, or adapting to reintegration. These are the parts of her personality that were interesting, and her character hasn't really evolved into anything nearly as interesting. On top of this, her whole involvement in this episode felt rather pointless. Not quite sure what she achieved given all the screen time she had during this episode. Ultimately, Ro Laren would have probably been a more interesting character if they had decided to keep her on the show.
The Borg just seemed to be added on and not tied into the story well. A little more filler between their encounter with species ### in Voyager and now would have been nice. To me, that was one of the best borg stories since their introduction in TNG. No other Borg story felt as true to their original concept as that one. And their relationship with the changelings wasn't filled out well. It would have been interesting to see more of their interaction together. As it was, it made the series feel a bit cut in two. Was also hard to grasp the particular way the Plummer character communicated with her master (borg queen?). Not sure that makes much sense unless I missed something. Some missed opportunities here that could have added two or three episodes to the series, and tied together Locutus and 7 of 9's stories.
There were numerous other nagging issues, especially with some of the technology fleet synchronization explanations, but all in all, the final season, and especially this final episode did what it meant to do...make us nostalgic for a great series and cast. Makes me almost hungry again to go and watch TNG a third time. The feel and optimism of those post TOS series will just not be captured again. I know they finally died because they didn't evolve, but to me they were comfort food, and I could have continued watching versions of the same for the rest of my life. The newer sci fi has lost its' heart. They're fun, but just no soul. This last episode reminds us of what we've been missing for the past 20 years.
I'll Follow You Down (2013)
Almost an 8
Excellent film. The humanistic parts are very well delivered.
By the trailers, I was worried the lead actor would annoy, and not carry the film. But I was pleasantly surprised. Did an excellent job.
The part that lost it a star for me was it left us hanging a bit in the end. Not terribly, like some of these films whose intent is to leave us wondering and the ending being completely wide open to good or bad. We have a good idea where this films characters will end up. The film did a good job in providing those assurances with the set up. However, and extra 5 to 15 minutes at the end to show what happens to the characters in the future would have made this a satisfying film. In the end, it just felt a little unfinished and rushed at the end.
Nightbooks (2021)
Missed potential
This film just annoyed me. It had some great potential, but just missed on all gears.
The acting was mediocre to bad. The lead boy was awful. Or maybe it was just the director. Would have to see the young actor in other films since often directors can sabotage good actors.
There were some interesting scenes that were poorly developed. The forest, and where it lead, could have been much better developed. This part had some serious potential, but they just passed on a tremendous opportunity to develop it more and potentially save this film.
The character development just felt shallow and contrived. Both the witch and the boy. A slower start would have been much nicer, with the reason for his sadness being revealed at the beginning rather than being revealed near the end as a bit of a letdown. Would have related to him more if we could have shared his journey throughout the movie rather than them making it a "big" reveal at the end that ultimately wasn't a big trauma, but something almost all children experience. Again, we would have cared about him more throughout the movie if they started with the source of his sadness. But in the end, the actor wouldn't have been able to carry it without better direction.
The Lip Service to Lost Boys was really contrived as well. This had absolutely zero fit with this film and felt more like self indulgence by the director or producers. I loved Lost Boys when I was younger, and recall it as a much better movie than this could ever be. The music in Lost Boys was amazing, but once again, doesn't fit this film at all.
I did get through this movie, but by 2/3rds of the way through, I was really ready for it to end. Read the Magicians Nephew instead. Much better use of your time, and much more interesting witches and children.
The Dallas Connection (1994)
Does well what it intends to do.
Excellent for what it intends
Colorful, nice costumes for the girls. Good looking guys.
Rigid cardboard acting, but in an amusing way.
Jet skis, motor boats, nice pacing, great explosions that would rival Hollywood (unlike todays computer generated b movie explosions), fun characters, nice variety in the women (and cute!), and on.
I wouldn't say it lacks action. Just trends more to spy and espionage intrigue. In a goofy way of course.
Imdb/amazon...stop with the 600 character review minimum. B movies dont require a New York Times review.
Imdb/amazon...stop with the 600 character review minimum. B movies dont require a New York Times review.
Very entertaining.
Can't Have You (2018)
40 something. Decent, some pacing problems
Obviously Im in the minority. I can see not rating it a 7, but have to admit Im confused by the 3.6. Suspect most low ratings found it too slow.
Acting is good. Occasionally unpolished.
Circumstances revolving around where these peoples' lives are at 40 to 50+ are very relatable, although maybe not their financial standings.
Characters are likeable and believable while being damaged. Even the ones with bad character are likeable.
Music is a bit too tv level quality. Otherwise, production value very good.
All in all, for people in the 40+ age group, worth a viewing.
IMDB, shorten your character minimum. A concise and worthwhile review can easily be less than 600 characters. Not every review requires an in depth synopsis. Key points can be made in 300 to 400 characters.
Paper Girls (2022)
Mediocre (Fast Food hangover warning)
Very uneven. Some okay parts, some terrible parts.
-annoying characters.
-ridiculous circumstances and character behaviour. Especially in the last episode. If your in imminent danger, or a window is closing, no one would act this way. Especially not kids. I wont say more than that to avoid spoilers
-kids had acting potential, but the direction was likely amateurish.
-if you're going to do special effects, at least try to do a decent job. Again, last episode fails miserably here. I felt like I was watching claymation from the 60s. Im usually pretty easy with special effects. I dont think special effects need to carry a story. But this stuff was very jarring. So much so, that it pulls you out of the story. Ive thought lots of other shows'/movies' special effects content was decent when others say it's sub par. So if Im saying it's bad....well....
Im actually sort of okay if this series was cancelled. There was just enough good here to get it's hooks in me. And Im a sucker for any pre 1995 content. But it's like eating fast food. It never feels great after consuming. So Im glad I wont be tempted further only to be continuously disappointed at the end of an episode.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2015)
Rare to find a show with no holes in the writing
A near masterpiece as others have indicated.
Also true that it takes a couple episodes to really get traction. But the payoff is one of the most complete shows I've seen in ages.
Everything has a purpose in the show. There is no wasted writing. And there are no eye rolling inconsistencies so common in script writing these days.
The flawed characters with good intentions ring true. They are true to their characters throughout.
You will need to suspend belief for the magical elements, but not for the writing. There is rarely to never any moments where you think to yourself that an action or a phrase by a character doesn't make sense and was just a lazy connection to further the story like we see so often in writing these days. Everything here makes sense and is believable for the characters taking the action.
The fairy elements and the english world are presented with such texture and beauty despite their starkness. The devil is in the details and all the imperfections of the world. There is something rough and natural in the sets, costumes, and cgi that is missing from todays polished, clean, and characterless cgi and productions we're all having to get used to these days.
On a whole, this is a very comprehensive and well told story of a very rare quality. I was giving it an 8, but bumped that up to a 9 after the final episode. I have never given a 10 from what I recall, almost never a 9, and 8 is very rare for me. So my nine is near a masterpiece rating
Disclaimer: I've never heard of or read the book. This is easily a self contained watch which requires no prior knowledge of the written material as some have suggested might be the case.
Intermate (2019)
Terrible but endearing
It's a terrible movie, but it just made me chuck and grin throughout while I did something else. It actually helped lighten a fairly heavy time, and for that I give it a six. The effects are awful, but the production is actually not too bad. Not A list stuff fore sure, but there is so much worse out there.
Odd that the lead actors are atrocious actors, but the extras are actually often decent actors.
If you went into this not knowing what you were getting into, gotta say, that's on you ;) .
This was an amusing little romp that made no sense, but somehow had the seeds of interesting ideas. Although I can't even give it that much credit since I think the writers really didn't have a clue what those ideas were. I thought the idea that some street people who preach armageddon were potentially transdimensional space worms was pretty amusing, although the film doesn't really explicitly go here or address this, I wonder about the screaming mad man. The one with long hair, not the main mad guy. I know this might verge on spoiler, but this movie is impossible to spoil since it makes no sense...lol
Anyway, just get a chuckle out of this one, some smiles, and don't expect an actual script ot movie here. It's simply a romp to maybe get some light hearted friends together to have a chuckle and head shaking session. Might even be a good drinking game in here. And whether you feel insulted by this movie might just depend on the mood going in. If you cringe at the first ten minutes, then maybe put it on a back shelf and try again another time. I find my mood definitely affects if I enjoy a movie or not.
Btw, if you watch the first ten minutes and don't realize this is going to make no sense....welllllll..... :)
Matriarch (2022)
It will trap you then make you regret the time spent.
1. Strong start in first third of movie. Gets you hooked thinking there's strong potential her. Decent acting from all the big city folk.
2. Second third is the introduction to the village. Acting gets a bit quirky, but doesn't trip any alarms.
3. Last third just devolves into a comical vaudeville freekshow mess with terrible acting, rushed non-sensical scenes, and zero realistic motivation for the lead characters.
I went from a strong 7 in the beginning to an almost unredeemable 2 by the end. The final creature effects were interesting, but as someone else said, unfinished. This could have been an interesting story, but looks like they ran out of budget half way through. The actors and director are going to have a hard time recovering from this one.
What If Wendy (2017)
Powerful
Powerful. For anyone whose had to face the loss of their future child, this rings true on so many levels.
Also, the phone call may sound a bit contrived, but it is a truth for many couples and failed relationships. That need to face grief together. That alien feeling when your partner suppresses grief.
These Dust Collection shorts are impressive. I was sceptical at first with the android caretaker short story which was a bit of a miss, but they are winning me over by digging deep into confronting us with fears we don't face or admit.
Hard to watch, but necessary. And I hope they dont stop surprising.
Mr. Robot (2015)
Finale saves show
I'll remember this series for the final episode. Very nicely done.
The first season, and this finale were excellent.
Everything in between was a sensationalistic, convoluted, and often aggressively depressing and violent mess.
I understand the focus on depression aspects when dealing with mental health, but the whole dark army, white rose plot was unnecessary. I would have preferred they tightened this to 2 seasons, focused on the multiple personality disorder, and the affects of the successful hack on the financial backbone of a nation. The whole destroying something instead of working to fix something story line which they largely abandoned to focus on white rose. The effects of E corps cover ups of polluting leading to cancer in two of the protagonists parents. These were wonderful plots and relatable stories.
The trauma that lead him towards this destructive behaviour. And the "real Elliot" who worked to fix things by improving the world rather than tearing it down. Those were interesting themes and plot lines.
The rest surrounding white rose and the dark army just felt like pandering to Hollywood tropes and detracted from the good in the show.
But again, the last episodes journey was handled with deft hands, and ultimately makes the series worthwhile,.
Mr. Robot: Hello, Elliot (2019)
Finale saved the show
I'll remember this series for the final episode. Very nicely done.
The first season, and this finale were excellent.
Everything in between was a sensationalistic, convoluted, and often aggressively depressing and violent mess.
I understand the focus on depression aspects when dealing with mental health, but the whole dark army, white rose plot was unnecessary. I would have preferred they tightened this to 2 seasons, focused on the multiple personality disorder, and the affects of the successful hack on the financial backbone of a nation. The whole destroying something instead of working to fix something story line which they largely abandoned to focus on white rose.
The trauma that lead him towards this destructive behaviour. And the "real Elliot" who worked to fix things by improving the world rather than tearing it down.
But again, the last episodes journey was handled with deft hands, and ultimately makes the series worthwhile,.
Werewolf by Night (2022)
Pointless, and a bit poorly sold as a werewolf story
This really didn't have any interesting werewolf moments. Only the scene of the transformation, already shown in the trailer, hints at anything werewolf like. And that being a throwback wink to older films that have had their day, and were so much more interesting than this film (werewolf in London, the hunger, etc)
Story/script felt kind of empty and pointless. Characters were all pretty bland. I know this meandering story telling was common in the 50s for episodic television, but why are we trying to recreate that when tv has gotten to the point that it rivals movie productions, both for writing and production budgets.
Don't get me wrong, I love throwbacks when the material it's based on has substance, and the throwback is elevated to current day production range, but this felt more like a low budget tv production from the 40s or 50s. And even those old episodes managed to squeeze into 15 minutes what this took an hour to do.
I did like Ted though. Very nicely created.
The Love Witch (2016)
Spoilers to discuss director's intent
It's difficult to guess the director's intent. The film is both misogynistic and misandrynistic at the same time. But since the story is largely told from Elaine's viewpoint, it feels like the director has inadvertently made the audience sympathise with her viewpoints until the very end of the film where it becomes clear that both men and women are damaged and inherently narcissistic. Elaine is a dark hole that can never get enough ....which she only realizes when the director shows her hearing the voices of her past relations telling her how much they love her. This seems to ultimately break her causing her to willfully murder the one person who didn't pander to her. The cop man is in a world where he's expected to be unemotional and detached, incapable of giving true love. Except he struggles with his emotions and reason when he falls for Elain but wont admit it. Both characters are meant to see their flaws and self deception at the very end.
What would have made this more effective is if they had given the cop equal screen time to tell his history and story. It would have helped the pacing immensely as well since the director would have been forced to tighten up Elaine's story.
But all this is basically moot since the obviously limited budget and directing could not have pulled this movie into something good. Sets were static. Acting was okay with what it was trying to achieve in it's throwback to classic cinema wooden style, but the actors aren't good enough to give the characters a little more whimsey. This has been done much better by other directors and actors. And finally, comments pointed out by others....the cell phone and the bar "burn the witch" scenes definitely needed to be cut. These pulled the viewer out of the style and reduced the little traction the movie had gained.
The technicolour throwback was interesting, jewel tones and all...but the sets were just not elaborate enough to do this justice.
I will say that the solstice and wedding party were nicely done, and this may be the single exception in the movie. Just not enough to make this movie interesting enough.
All in all I could be wrong, but I think the directors intent wasn't to comment so much on gender differences, but rather the similarities in how self destructive both genders can be in relationships. I just wish she had treated the male and female with equal weight.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: Is This Not Real Magic? (2022)
Fun episode
If you're trying to get this show to make sense or fit in with the rest of the MCU....just stop. It's just ridiculous fun. They're not trying for anything more. Sit back and take it in like you would take in an episode of Family Guy or any other episodic slapstick comedy. The situations are ridiculous, and aren't trying to build up to some world ending vilain. It established that on episode 1
This episode made me smile more than any so far. She Hulk dating :)
And while she hulk cgi is not great, those daemons were incredibly well done. And fun.
As far as spoiling sopranos....you're stretching for more reasons to discredit the show. I didn't even think twice about the fact that something was spoiled since it was just another slapstick joke....until people here made me think that something in a real show was actually spoiled. I haven't seen soprano's yet, and I was so enjoying this episode, I didn't overthink the sopranos joke. But now after reading people complaining about it I am.
This show is an absolute zero stress romper to relax to. No seriously stressful situations and just plain fun.
Ms. Marvel (2022)
Feels a bit cringy and contrived. However, Might appeal to a young girl demographic.
I can see how it would appeal to a certain demographic. And there are some very interesting artistic and theme choices.
For myself, I find it a little cutesy and cringy. Also, the white guy best friend feels really out of place. Just feels like a blatant attempt to attempt to validate the culture to the white north american.
For myself, Runaways and Cloak & Dagger were much more interesting shows with similar themes and aimed at a similar demographic. The diversity felt more natural in those shows where this show feels like it's forcing a white guy into Pakistani culture with the best friend character. Runaways could have taken it further, but this show just feels like it's jamming everything down our throats.
I like the Pakistani elements in this show, but it feels forced in so many places.
I think the best scene was at the mosque during prayers where the two girls were late and talked about the disparity between the men's section and the women's section. That was handled much better than most of the rest.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)
Fun. Marvel experimenting with various styles
If Marvel tried to do this with other characters, it wouldn't work. But She Hulk is a fairly ridiculous character to begin with, so why not try something off the wall like this.
As for animation, other reviewers aren't wrong. This is a disturbing mix of Shreck and a woman. But I haven't liked most of the Hulk animation since Norton's hulk, which was fairly well done.
But getting past that, the whole concept is a blast. When I saw the trailers to this show, I was wondering what they could be thinking. But I was wrong... it works, and it's entertaining.
For people thinking this is misogynistic, Im not sure what you're seeing. Im sort of seeing a bit of the opposite....that it's poking a bit of fun at how far the pendulum has swung at vilianizing men. There seems to be a lot of sarcasm which understandably is a tricky way to do humour since it can be interpreted badly.
All in all, if you don't take it too seriously, this is a relaxing half hour that just requires you don't take the world or the MCU too seriously. Reminds me a bit of Peacemaker. If you get worked up over the material, you're going to have a hard time enjoying this. If you just realize the tongue and cheek nature of it, you'll likely enjoy it.
Eye of the beholder. They've definitely taken a risk of this show. And I think they have to take risks with the volume of shows marvel is producing, or it will become stale like the DC shows of the 2010s. For me She Hulk works, but I can understand how others might be turned off.
Prey (2022)
Not perfect, but very good
Edit: so I see how helpfulness voting works on IMDB now. If you don't craps all over a movie, the purists and fanboys will vote you unhelpful no matter if your advice or comments are constructive or not. They can't stand their opinion not being supported or validated. Noted. I normally vote based on what people say, not the score they give. If I believe someone out there could benefit from a well thought out praise or criticism, then I vote it up...regardless whether or not I agree with the score or comment. (End edit).
Hard to make a perfect Predator movie. The amazement only works once on a film like this, then you're just trying to capture lightning in a bottle twice.
But this comes close. Largely due to the aesthetic, and making the predator slightly less technologically dependent. Adds an extra bit of interest to the film.
Three things that create the wonderful aesthetic:
1) cinematography, color palette, and landscape. Those rich earthy tones throughout the film are memorable, and perfectly shot
2) costumes and tools / weaponry
3) music (best Ive heard in a film in a very long time)
I loved how powerful they made the predator. More visceral than any previous predator. Accepted fights with overpowering foes head on, and only relied on technology when in trouble. Less armor made the stakes higher for the predator.
Loved that they teased mud, then eschewed it for a more interesting camouflage. You'll know it when you watch it.
Loved the intelligence of the lead and the way she tried to turn the battlefield in her favor.
All in all, this was the best since the original in my opinion. Different than the original, but a more updated feel to the franchise, which takes the material in a style more in line with current media. A more mature look. Game of thrones interpretation of fantasy for example, vs something line Xena Warrior Princess.
The more I think about the film, the more I like it. But again, you can only discover the Predator once, and that's what keeps it from being rated higher. The original was way ahead of its time, and the thrill of discovering the predator and it's stealth armour can never be repeated with the same affect.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Weakest of the post End Game movies
Basically I found it to be a mediocre martial arts film.
They really dumbed down the rings and made them somewhat pointless.
Just found the whole thing a bit flat and meaningless. Would have preferred a story about the father's evolution rather than watch his kids fumble through a rather pointless and oversimplified plot.
Relied heavily on some martial art film tropes, but didn't handle them as well.
Creature effects were nice. Marvel is getting better and better at these.
And the post credit scenes were more enjoyable than any scenes in the movie.
This falls way behind the new spiderman, doctor strange, and Eternals movies which I all liked a lot.
Eternals (2021)
Epic in time and visuals
Nice movie. Im not sure why Im finding these recent Marvel movies better that most of the last pre-end game ones. Maybe just because Im hearing less favourable things about them and going in with lower expectations. Or it's just a style I like personally
Very well told. Nice progression from the ancient history to the present. Very well paced.
Creature effects were fantastic. Costumes were nice. The larger than life celestial effects were astounding. Nice relationship between Joli's character Thena and the other eternal who cares for her. Chan does a beautiful job with her character. And the mind controller fella (Druig?) was interesting to watch; both visually interesting and his demeanour was well suited to the role. But all characters were well developed for the screen time they had. Reminds me of the challenge of the first xmen movie which showed that larger groups of characters could be well handled and developed.
Well acted by all. Not academy award performances, just generally quietly understated acting which fit their eternal lineage and characters
My only grudge against this film is Disney's insistance that they all have a comedic section to the film. Felt very out of place in this film. Seems almost formulaic like they're trying to make every movie memorable to the under 8 age group. I almost docked a point for this, but they weren't too heavy handed. It's fine in some films. But this one could have done without it.