Monday, 31 July 2017
Friends from College Season 1 Review
Friends from College (2017-)
Season 1 - 8 episodes (2017)
Watch Friends from College on Netflix
Starring Keegan-Michael Key, Cobie Smulders, and Fred Savage, this comedy follows Harvard alums now in their 40s trying to reconcile their lack of success in relationships and professionally.
Also Watched - The Shack, Hidden Figures, Game of Thrones S7, Mr. Robot S2
Also watched - The Shack, Hidden Figures, Game of Thrones S7, Mr. Robot S2
The Shack 2017)
A grieving man receives a mysterious, personal invitation to meet with God at a place called "The Shack."
Hidden Figures (2016)
A team of African-American women mathematicians served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the US space program.
Game of Thrones (2011-)
Season 7 - 7 episodes (2017)
HBO's fantasy drama series adapted from George R.R. Martin's book series A Song of Ice and Fire follows the civil war of kings and usurpers in Westeros who wish to sit on the throne. The scale and scope of the story is staggering, fully realized with a large ensemble cast.
Mr. Robot (2015-)
Season 2 - 12 episodes (2016)
A cyber security engineer and part time hacker is recruited to "save the world" by sabotaging a multi-million dollar company.
Netflix NEWS 08.01.17
Netflix NEWS
Updates on Netflix original content releasing this week and the announcements from last week.
Netflix Originals Releasing This Week
Maz Jobrani: Immigrant (August 1)
Netflix Comedy Special
Jobrani's family fled the Iranian Revolution and came to the U.S. in the '70s. He co-stars in the CBS comedy, Superior Donuts, and he also authored the best-selling book I'm Not A Terrorist; But I've Played One on TV. He's appeared on The Colbert Report and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.Watch the trailer
Surviving Escobar - Alias JJ Season 1 (August 1)
Netflix Colombian Series - 19 episodes
After the death of Pablo Escobar, a former MedellĂn Cartel leader who willingly turned himself in fights his way to the top of the prison underworld.Icarus (August 4)
Netflix Documentary
Bryan Fogel's documentary uncovers the truth about doping in sports, delving into the scandal among Russian Olympians.Fogel, an amateur bike racer decided to create a documentary about doping, by doing it himself. Using a Russian doctor, he uncovers a state sponsored Olympic doping program.
Watch the trailer
Message from the King (August 4)
Netflix Distributed Movie
Starring Chadwick Boseman, Luke Evans, Teresa Palmer, and Alfred Molina, a man from South Africa travels to Los Angeles to avenge his younger sister's death, infiltrating the low lifes and elites.Watch the trailer
Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 3 (August 4) - Available in the US, Canada, Latin America, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the Nordics, Benelux, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Netflix Kids Series
Five heroes and their flying robot lions unite to form the powerful Voltron and defend the universe.In season 3, how can they defend the universe without Voltron? Without Shiro, the pilot for the black lion, and the ascension of the mysterious Prince Lotor, Zarkon's defeat comes at a price.
Season 3 teaser video
Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later [Season 2] (August 4)
Netflix Original Series - 8 episodes
The first season continued the movie. With the actors too old to reprise their roles, the series made a prequel to drive the joke home. The series strikes the right balance of absurdity and comedy.Alyssa Milano will be a series regular.
Returning for season two are Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zak Orth, Michael Ian Black, Janeane Garofalo, Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon, Lake Bell, Michael Showalter, Christopher Meloni, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Joe Lo Truglio, Ken Marino and Josh Charles.
New cast members include Jai Courtney, Dax Shepard, Alyssa Milano, and Adam Scott.
Read my Season 1 review
Watch the Ten Years Later trailer
Netflix Trailers
Message from the King trailer
The Incredible Jessica James trailer
What Happened to Monday? trailer
Netflix Previews/Videos
Use a Netflix Gift Card to Prepay your Membership or Give to Someone
Daughters of Destiny - Preetha's Poem video
Atypical featurette video
A Little Help with Carol Burnett - New Series in 2018
Netflix Announcements
Castlevania Season 2Announced
Disenchantment Matt Groening Series coming in 2018
The Angel spy thriller in 2018
Netflix is fully integrated in Israel
Arrested Development Season 5 begins filming in August
A Little Help with Carol Burnett Netflix Series Coming in 2018
A Little Help with Carol Burnett (2018-)
Season 1 - 12 episodes (2018)
A Little Help with Carol Burnett debuts in 2018
This unscripted, 30-minute comedy series that will see Carol, celebrity guests, and every day people sit down with four to eight year old children, for funny and honest opinions. Burnett and her guests will reveal how a younger generation solves life's problems in front of a live studio audience.
Season 1 - 12 episodes (2018)
A Little Help with Carol Burnett debuts in 2018
This unscripted, 30-minute comedy series that will see Carol, celebrity guests, and every day people sit down with four to eight year old children, for funny and honest opinions. Burnett and her guests will reveal how a younger generation solves life's problems in front of a live studio audience.
Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters Netflix Series Announced for 2017
Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters (2017-)
Season 1 - 26 episodes (2017)
Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters premieres in late 2017
Teen Jake Armstrong and his two pals Nathan Park and Ricardo Perez are exposed to dangerous chemicals that give them the ability to stretch their bodies. They begin fighting crime.
Steven Yen, Wil Wheaton, Felicia Day, Keith David, and Kate Mulgrew lend their voice talent.
Originally introduced by Hasbro in 1976, Stretch Armstrong was the a toy that could stretch from its original size of fifteen inches to four feet.
Press release
Season 1 - 26 episodes (2017)
Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters premieres in late 2017
Teen Jake Armstrong and his two pals Nathan Park and Ricardo Perez are exposed to dangerous chemicals that give them the ability to stretch their bodies. They begin fighting crime.
Steven Yen, Wil Wheaton, Felicia Day, Keith David, and Kate Mulgrew lend their voice talent.
Originally introduced by Hasbro in 1976, Stretch Armstrong was the a toy that could stretch from its original size of fifteen inches to four feet.
Press release
Mindhunter Season 1 Netflix Series Trailer
Mindhunter (2017-)
Season 1 - (2017)
Mindhunter Season 1 premieres on October 13
Two FBI agents interview imprisoned serial killers to solve ongoing cases in 1979.
Produced by David Fincher & Charlize Theron, this series is based on a book and stars Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallanay, Anna Torv, and Hannah Gross. David Fincher also helped launch Netflix's House of Cards.
This has already been renewed for season 2.
A teaser video was released in March.
Season 1 - (2017)
Mindhunter Season 1 premieres on October 13
Two FBI agents interview imprisoned serial killers to solve ongoing cases in 1979.
Produced by David Fincher & Charlize Theron, this series is based on a book and stars Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallanay, Anna Torv, and Hannah Gross. David Fincher also helped launch Netflix's House of Cards.
This has already been renewed for season 2.
A teaser video was released in March.
Sudden Impact (1983)
Genres
Action, Crime, Thriller
Director
Clint Eastwood
Country
USA
Cast
Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, Bradford Dillman, Paul Drake, Albert Popwell, Audrie J. Neenan, Jack Thibeau, Michael Currie, Michael V. Gazzo, Mark Keyloun, Kevyn Major Howard, Bette Ford, Nancy Parson
Storyline
Jennifer Spencer (Sondra Locke), a rape victim has turned into a vigilante killer and kills her attackers one by one and Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is assigned to the case.
Opinion
Right after the first film, Dirty Harry, the franchise started to drop in quality and given the level it has reached with The Enforcer, I was expecting another terrible film. But I guess a change of direction was what the series needed because Sudden Impact is quite good. Sure, it's far from being the best film of the series, but it's a solid-ish cop movie.
When I said change of direction I wasn't only talking about the director, but also about the tones of the film. It is moody and dark (as a matter of fact, there's almost no humour) and it's more focused on the characters, not only Callahan's, and they are better written, especially the bad guys.
There are two main storylines, Callahan's and that of the rape victim, the latter being the main focus of the film which is great since it's also the most interesting. It does take a while to take off, but when Callahan and Spencer finally meet it gets more engaging. Still, it's very clichéed and predictable.
The major difference between Sudden Impact and The Enforcer is easily the direction. Clint Eastwood clearly knows how to direct and, although there are some pretty dull scenes, for the most the film has a good pace and some suspense as well. Clint Eastwood is also a problem though. He is too old to play Harry Callahan and, while he does his best, he doesn't have the age or ability to make the action sequences look realistic and believable.
Sunday, 30 July 2017
The Incredible Jessica James Netflix Movie Review
The Incredible Jessica James (2017)
Watch The Incredible Jessica James on Netflix
Written by: Jim Strouse
Directed by: Jim Strouse
Starring: Jessica Williams, Chris O'Dowd, Lakeith Stanfield, Noël Wells.
Rated: TV-MA
Plot
Playwright Jessica, on the rebound from a breakup, starts an unlikely friendship with a divorcee.
Verdict
This is rom-com with no real plot. It's goal is to string along funny scenes rather than unfold events or drama. It fully relies on Jessica Williams to carry this, and she does to a large degree though it goes for a lot of easy jokes like online dating. Williams is the only thing that makes this passable and even then the writing is lacking.
It depends.
Review
It presents a woman enduring the daily grind of life with enthusiasm for her dream, the theater. She proudly displays rejection letters on her wall, but she loves the theater, she just hasn't gotten any success. That doesn't deter her from trying to pass on her love for the theater to the children she mentors through a non-profit group. She apologetically confirms she's still hung up on her ex, he constantly invades her thoughts and dreams. As a character Jessica James is fascinating, but as movie there just isn't much past the character.
The biggest problem is that nothing happens in this movie. There is no character arc, no obstacle, no conflict. Some movies can pull this off, but this isn't funny or insightful enough to really make it stick. I've read reviews that wish this was a series. It makes sense. Nothing happens in the movie, and Jessica James is a great character. This would be a series that turns small events into something, but those small events don't have the narrative strength to be a feature. The conclusion is little more than an afterthought that neither changes nor adds to what we've seen.
Jessica befriends Boone, a divorced man lost in life, and they forge a friendship. I appreciate the movie doesn't take the easy drama route by having them couple, but it takes a similarly easy approach by not having them do more than hang out a few times.
The comedy picks a lot of easy targets. This tackles online dating with Jessica being incredibly blunt. Master of None S2E4 commented on online dating so well, that this just feels tired and it's nowhere near as eloquent. Master of None crafted a commentary, The Incredible Jessica James just makes an easy joke.
There's a joke at a baby shower that falls flat. Jessica has created a weird book decrying patriarchal society for her sister, which isn't bad in of itself, but the punch line ends up being a dumb white woman that kills the joke. The joke really doesn't fit.
This has some interesting ideas, where Jessica and her new friend Boone unfriend their exes and follow each others exes so that they'll know important happenings but not be bombarded daily with updates. It's a neat idea that doesn't go anywhere. This movie actively tries to avoid over the top so much that the narrative is flat.
Movies with two characters hanging out can be really engrossing, Before Sunrise (1995) is a single conversation uninterrupted. While the format was unique, the conversations was engrossing and the question of what happens when the sun rises provided enough of a plot.
Watch The Incredible Jessica James on Netflix
Written by: Jim Strouse
Directed by: Jim Strouse
Starring: Jessica Williams, Chris O'Dowd, Lakeith Stanfield, Noël Wells.
Rated: TV-MA
Plot
Playwright Jessica, on the rebound from a breakup, starts an unlikely friendship with a divorcee.
Verdict
This is rom-com with no real plot. It's goal is to string along funny scenes rather than unfold events or drama. It fully relies on Jessica Williams to carry this, and she does to a large degree though it goes for a lot of easy jokes like online dating. Williams is the only thing that makes this passable and even then the writing is lacking.
It depends.
Review
It presents a woman enduring the daily grind of life with enthusiasm for her dream, the theater. She proudly displays rejection letters on her wall, but she loves the theater, she just hasn't gotten any success. That doesn't deter her from trying to pass on her love for the theater to the children she mentors through a non-profit group. She apologetically confirms she's still hung up on her ex, he constantly invades her thoughts and dreams. As a character Jessica James is fascinating, but as movie there just isn't much past the character.
The biggest problem is that nothing happens in this movie. There is no character arc, no obstacle, no conflict. Some movies can pull this off, but this isn't funny or insightful enough to really make it stick. I've read reviews that wish this was a series. It makes sense. Nothing happens in the movie, and Jessica James is a great character. This would be a series that turns small events into something, but those small events don't have the narrative strength to be a feature. The conclusion is little more than an afterthought that neither changes nor adds to what we've seen.
Jessica befriends Boone, a divorced man lost in life, and they forge a friendship. I appreciate the movie doesn't take the easy drama route by having them couple, but it takes a similarly easy approach by not having them do more than hang out a few times.
The comedy picks a lot of easy targets. This tackles online dating with Jessica being incredibly blunt. Master of None S2E4 commented on online dating so well, that this just feels tired and it's nowhere near as eloquent. Master of None crafted a commentary, The Incredible Jessica James just makes an easy joke.
There's a joke at a baby shower that falls flat. Jessica has created a weird book decrying patriarchal society for her sister, which isn't bad in of itself, but the punch line ends up being a dumb white woman that kills the joke. The joke really doesn't fit.
This has some interesting ideas, where Jessica and her new friend Boone unfriend their exes and follow each others exes so that they'll know important happenings but not be bombarded daily with updates. It's a neat idea that doesn't go anywhere. This movie actively tries to avoid over the top so much that the narrative is flat.
Movies with two characters hanging out can be really engrossing, Before Sunrise (1995) is a single conversation uninterrupted. While the format was unique, the conversations was engrossing and the question of what happens when the sun rises provided enough of a plot.
Atypical Season 1 Netflix Series Featurette Video
Atypical (2017-)
Season 1 (2017)
Atypical Season 1 premieres on August 11
In this behind-the-scenes featurette, the cast and creative team of the show share personal insight and discuss the universal themes of the upcoming comedy.
This is a coming of age story about autistic spectrum teen Sam (Keir Gilchrist). His search for love and independence upends his family as they struggle with their own life changes. All of them wonder what it means to be normal. Jennifer Jason Leigh (Hateful Eight) is his mother Elsa, and Michael Rapaport is his father Doug.
Season 1 (2017)
Atypical Season 1 premieres on August 11
In this behind-the-scenes featurette, the cast and creative team of the show share personal insight and discuss the universal themes of the upcoming comedy.
This is a coming of age story about autistic spectrum teen Sam (Keir Gilchrist). His search for love and independence upends his family as they struggle with their own life changes. All of them wonder what it means to be normal. Jennifer Jason Leigh (Hateful Eight) is his mother Elsa, and Michael Rapaport is his father Doug.
What Happened to Monday? Netflix Movie Trailer
What Happened to Monday? (2017)
What Happened to Monday? premieres August 18
This sci-fi thriller stars Noomi Rapace and is set in a future with a one child per family policy. Rapace plays 7 identical sisters that elude the Child Allocation Bureau. Willem Dafoe and Glenn Close also star.
What Happened to Monday? premieres August 18
This sci-fi thriller stars Noomi Rapace and is set in a future with a one child per family policy. Rapace plays 7 identical sisters that elude the Child Allocation Bureau. Willem Dafoe and Glenn Close also star.
Epic (2013)
Genres
Animation, Adventure, Fantasy
Director
Chris Wedge
Country
USA
Voice Cast
Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried, Christoph Waltz, Aziz Ansari, Chris O'Dowd, Pitbull, Jason Sudeikis, Steven Tyler, Beyoncé Knowles, Blake Anderson, Judah Friedlander
Storyline
Teenager MK (Amanda Seyfried) is transported into a tiny civilization and finds herself caught in the middle of a battle between good and evil forces.
Opinion
I don't know if someone other than me has seen Epic Movie, but that movie sure wasn't epic. Same goes with Epic. While it's pretty to look at, it's far from being epic.
Slightly enjoyable, the story lacks originality (it's basically a clone of Luc Besson's Arthur and the Invisibles, from the war between the two tiny population to the impossible/predictable love story), it's not very developed, it's pretty bland, and, in top of that, it has a terrible pacing. At times it's fast and flows well; at times it's slow and feels like it's dragged forever.
The characters aren't that good either. They are pretty bland and clichéed which makes it harder to care for them, especially when you have a villain so weak that makes MCU's look like the best villains ever. However, the main characters are likeable and a few of them are funny (the snail and the slug).
Another issues with Epic is the voice cast. What bothered me the most was the casting of Beyoncé. She is a great artist and I love her voice but voicing an animated character just isn't her thing. Every single line she delivers is flat. Not a single emotion is conveyed by her. But it's not like the rest of the cast does a better job.
Then there's the animation. While it's yet another non-epic aspect of the film, it's good. Everything, from the setting to the characters, is beautiful and so rich in detail it almost looks real.
Slightly enjoyable, the story lacks originality (it's basically a clone of Luc Besson's Arthur and the Invisibles, from the war between the two tiny population to the impossible/predictable love story), it's not very developed, it's pretty bland, and, in top of that, it has a terrible pacing. At times it's fast and flows well; at times it's slow and feels like it's dragged forever.
The characters aren't that good either. They are pretty bland and clichéed which makes it harder to care for them, especially when you have a villain so weak that makes MCU's look like the best villains ever. However, the main characters are likeable and a few of them are funny (the snail and the slug).
Another issues with Epic is the voice cast. What bothered me the most was the casting of Beyoncé. She is a great artist and I love her voice but voicing an animated character just isn't her thing. Every single line she delivers is flat. Not a single emotion is conveyed by her. But it's not like the rest of the cast does a better job.
Then there's the animation. While it's yet another non-epic aspect of the film, it's good. Everything, from the setting to the characters, is beautiful and so rich in detail it almost looks real.
Saturday, 29 July 2017
Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 3 The Queen's Justice Recap
Game of Thrones (2011-)
Season 7 - 7 episodes (2017)
Watch Game of Thrones on Amazon Video with Amazon Prime - Get a free HBO 7-day Trial
Created by: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
Starring: Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Sophie Turner, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Aidan Gillan, Gwendoline Christie
Plot:
HBO's fantasy drama series adapted from George R.R. Martin's book series A Song of Ice and Fire follows the civil war of kings and usurpers in Westeros who wish to sit on the throne. The scale and scope of the story is staggering, fully realized with a large ensemble cast.
The show is speculated to conclude after thirteen episodes, though it may be broken into two seasons. Season six put all the characters on a course to get back to Westeros for the big fight that's inevitable. You can devise a rough outline of where season seven is headed, though I expect many surprises.
Review: Episode 3 - The Queen's Justice
Jon arrives to see Daenerys. Will he need to prove he beat death, show his wounds? Whatever happened to Samwell's experimental procedure on Jorah Mormont?
Jon arrives at Casterly Rock. He and Tyrion catch up on old times, and Jon gets to see his first dragon. Melisandre admits to Varys she made mistakes and didn't leave Jon Snow on good terms. She doesn't admit it was because she had Stannis Baratheon's daughter burned at the stake for the Lord of Light.
After seven seasons Jon and Daenerys share the screen. Daenerys is quite condescending. She's always been the underdog and now that she's upon a throne she seems to be just like everyone else that gets a taste of power. In her defense, Jon Snow doesn't even hold a house name. She could perceive has as a mere usurper. She doesn't have the benefit of seeing what we've seen.
Daenerys claims to be the last Targaryen, but little does she know, Jon Snow shares her lineage. Bran is the only one that knows this but how can he prove it? All he has is a vision. When will he and Jon meet?
Jon Snow proclaims the army of the dead is the universal enemy. Of course, Daenerys takes this lightly but Jon calls upon Tyrion to confirm his honesty. Everyone is fighting this petty war, but Jon knows the real enemy. I doubt anyone will believe him until they see a white walker, but that's a lot of Southward travel for a walker. If they get that far the war may be done.
Ser Davos bolsters Jon's claim. Jon made allies of wildlings, he was made Lord Commander and King of the North. Davos begins to mention Jon was stabbed in the heart, but a sideways glance stops Davos.
Jon is at Dragonstone only for the dragon glass. He's yet to mention this, it's good tactic.
Jon and Tyrion brood over the coming winter and Daenerys, and Jon's plight. Jon tells Tyrion about dragon glass. Tyrion returns to Daenerys and tells her Jon's want. Tyrion tells her that everyone would have advised him not to come and yet he's here. Give him something, he could be an ally.
Daenerys pointedly asks Tyrion about the knife to the heart that Davos mentioned. Tyrion brushes it aside as Northern fancy. Everyone in that room should know there is something to that with the way Jon cut Davos off. Why mention it only to play it off? Is it just a nod to the fans?
We're reaching the downward slope of many character arcs. Theon, now Reek, is pathetic. You wonder if he'll find redemption, but I don't think so. He's a far cry from who he was in season one.
Euron returns to Cersei with justice for Marcella, the Sand Snakes in tow. Cersei promises Euron he'll get her as a wife when the war is won.You might think Cersei is playing it off, but she thinks she can win. She's made it this far after all.
Euron and Jamie don't get along at all. One of them will likely kill the other.
Cersei gets her revenge for Marcella, killing Ellaria Sand's daughter in the same manner.
The Iron Bank of Braavos has come to collect. Cersei has no money, is fighting wars on multiple fronts, and has inherited considerable debt. She urges Braavos to bet on her.
Sansa is a force with which to be reckoned. She's planning for the future and smart about many things. She'll give the North the best chance.
Sansa and Bran reunite. Sansa proclaims Bran a lord, but Bran counters he's the three eyed raven. He can't be Lord because he sees everything that's ever happened. He says it's difficult to explain, but it's quite easy. Bran was chosen to to secede the former raven. The raven has extensive knowledge abotu all things. He does prove to Sansa he knows some things, recounting her wedding night.
Jorah Mormont is healed and headed to Daenerys. It turns out Samwell succeeded in an endeavor where many maesters have failed. Instead of a rebuke, the arch-maester is impressed.
The Unsullied are heading to Casterly Rock, a keep that's never been taken and the Rock is prepared. While Tyrion's father Tywin built Casterly Rock and the army, he designated the sewers to Tyrion. Tyrion built in an escape hatch to aid in his misdeeds. Casterly Rock has been defeated, though the troops were less than expected. Euron rides upon Casterly Rock, destroying ships. The troops that were supposed to be at Casterly Rock attack the Tyrell held Highgarden. Casterly Rock is worth little and without ships, the Unsullied will have to abandon the Rock.
Olenna Tyrell drinks her poison from Jamie, admitting she is the one that killed Joffrey in season four. Even in her last breaths the Queen of Thorns makes it count.
Everybody is falling this episode. I didn't expect so much to happen. Daenerys and Jon meet, Bran and Sansa reunite, two keeps fall, Daenerys is losing allies, and Jon is getting his dragon glass. I guarantee you the Jon Daenerys alliance is just getting started.
Old School (2003)
Genre
Comedy
Director
Todd Phillips
Country
USA
Cast
Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Jeremy Piven, Ellen Pompeo, Juliette Lewis, Leah Remini, Perrey Reeves, Craig Kilborn, Patrick Fischler, Sara Tanaka, Simon Helberg, Seann William Scott, Elisha Cuthbert, Patrick J. Adams
Storyline
Three friends, Mitch (Luke Wilson), Frank (Will Ferrell) and Beanie (Vince Vaughn), disillusioned with their personal lives try to recapture their glory days by forming their own fraternity in Mitch's new house that happens to be on a college campus.
Opinion
If there’s something I’ve learned from watching a lot of movies is to expect nothing good from a comedy starring Will Ferrell. And that’s exactly the case with Old School. It is a demential and moronic film, but you know what, it works as a comedy.
The story isn’t very original; it’s pretty much the typical frat house story meaning it doesn’t have much depth, there’s a lot of nonsense going on and it’s pretty lame, and there are also some annoyingly predictable subplots – as if the main plot wasn’t predictable enough – and yet it manages to be engaging and fun.
And the credits for that entirely goes to the cast. There isn’t much you can do with flat stereotypical characters completely lacking development, but the leading trio, Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn, is hilarious, especially Ferrell. And it was nice seeing actors such as Sean William Scott making an appearance.
At last, there’s the humour. It isn’t great. Actually, it’s pretty shitty – yes, I’m talking about the toilet humour -, and vulgar – I would have never expected anything different, to be honest – and some jokes are really worn, but there’s plenty of laughing-out-loud moments and that’s exactly what a comedy like this one needs.
Friday, 28 July 2017
Adventureland (2009)
Genres
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Director
Greg Mottola
Country
USA
Cast
Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynold, Martin Starr, Matt Bush, Margarita Levieva, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Mary Birdsong, Josh Pais, Jack Gilpin, Wendie Malick
Storyline
In the summer of 1987, college graduate James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) takes a job at Adventureland, his local amusement park, where he meets and falls in love with a co-worker, Emily (Kristen Stewart).
Opinion
Although I’ve recently come to appreciate her acting, I’m still not a fan of Kristen Stewart, and I still don’t like Jesse Eisenberg – actually, I’m starting to believe nobody does – which is why I’ve been putting off Adventureland forever. However, I read good things about it in last week’s Thursday Movie Picks and decided to watch it; I’m glad I did because it isn’t bad for a teen movie.
Although there’s barely a plot, everything moves very slowly, there are most of the clichĂ©s of a coming-of-age and there’s no such a thing as a twist – so it’s pretty predictable -, the story is interesting to follow and quite enjoyable. The ending though, it didn’t really work for me.
Anyway, this is one of the few (maybe only) times when I did not find Jesse Eisenberg's character utterly annoying. Actually, he was very likeable. It’s probably because it’s easy to relate to his character, he’s decently written and the performance isn’t bad. Also, the character feels real. It’s the same with the other characters. They are not that developed, but they aren’t as shallow as I was expecting either.
The most enjoyable part, however, is the quirky and at times awkward humour. Although it’s nothing new, the cast delivers it nicely, especially Ryan Reynolds who once again blesses us all with his amazing sense of humour.
Thursday, 27 July 2017
The Shack Movie Review
The Shack (2017)
Written by: John Fusco and Andrew Lanham & Destiny Daniel Cretton (screenplay), William P. Young and Wayne Jacobsen and Brad Cummings (Based on the book by, in collaboration with)
Directed by: Stuart Hazeldine
Starring: Sam Worthington, Octavia Spencer, Tim McGraw, Radha Mitchell
Rating:PG-13
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it. Read my previous movie reviews!
Plot
A grieving man receives a mysterious, personal invitation to meet with God at a place called "The Shack."
Verdict
As religious movies usually are, this can be heavy handed. It doesn't try to start a discussion or make you think, it tells you exactly what you should know. It's ambitious to try to explain God, but the story telling is lacking. The set up isn't bad, but it doesn't go anywhere. Eventually the movie tells us what we should glean from this encounter and the movie ends. It's a higher budget made-for-tv movie.
Skip it.
Review
This becomes a sermon, telling you what to think and do, i want something subtle that fosters discussion. It's less a parable, which I'd prefer, and more just instruction.
Relying on depicting God as a middle aged black woman is a great idea and it works wonderfully, but there is very little past that.
The narration is a bit much and succumbs to the mistake of just explaining what's on screen. In less than five minutes we get the implication that something tragic happened, though we don't know the specifics. Soon enough we get the over the top spark to the plot. While one of Mack's kids nearly drowns, the youngest daughter is kidnapped. Despite a busy park and numerous people, no one saw the perpetrator or him taking the daughter. She apparently didn't make a sound. It's little things like this that bog the movie down. It's not realistic and makes the script feel amateurish. There's no way the daughter was abducted as depicted. The story is crafted with a sledgehammer, whatever it takes to get to the next scene.
Tim McGraw is a standout, the helpful neighbor that's trapped in movie that is lacking. Octavia Spencer as God does a fine job, she just doesn't have a lot to work with. While the movie tried to have a dark tone, when Mack meets God the tone becomes almost comedic. This bounces between members of the trinity and features a water walking race between Mack and Jesus. It's as ridiculous as it sounds. Mack is dealing with the death of his daughter, but his mental anguish just vanishes. The plot often just takes the easiest way to get to the next point.
This doesn't present an opinion and let you determine your thoughts. It tells you what to think. This is a movie where you know where it's going every step of the way. Do religious movies have to be heavy handed? Apparently.
Donnie Darko (2001) is what I want a religious movie to attempt. That felt like a religious movie, but it's ambiguous. It lets you draw your own conclusions, but to me it felt relifious. Upon watching the director's cut a few years later, the only addition to the film seemed to be the addition of the word "God" multiple times. That only confirmed what I thought Donnie Darko was.
I did like the final few scenes, but that's probably just a contrast to how much I didn't like the rest of the movie. In most other movies, I'd criticize the conclusion for bringing it down. The same ending here is an improvement.
Rent The Shack on Amazon Video // Buy the book
Written by: John Fusco and Andrew Lanham & Destiny Daniel Cretton (screenplay), William P. Young and Wayne Jacobsen and Brad Cummings (Based on the book by, in collaboration with)
Directed by: Stuart Hazeldine
Starring: Sam Worthington, Octavia Spencer, Tim McGraw, Radha Mitchell
Rating:PG-13
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it. Read my previous movie reviews!
Plot
A grieving man receives a mysterious, personal invitation to meet with God at a place called "The Shack."
Verdict
As religious movies usually are, this can be heavy handed. It doesn't try to start a discussion or make you think, it tells you exactly what you should know. It's ambitious to try to explain God, but the story telling is lacking. The set up isn't bad, but it doesn't go anywhere. Eventually the movie tells us what we should glean from this encounter and the movie ends. It's a higher budget made-for-tv movie.
Skip it.
Review
This becomes a sermon, telling you what to think and do, i want something subtle that fosters discussion. It's less a parable, which I'd prefer, and more just instruction.
Relying on depicting God as a middle aged black woman is a great idea and it works wonderfully, but there is very little past that.
The narration is a bit much and succumbs to the mistake of just explaining what's on screen. In less than five minutes we get the implication that something tragic happened, though we don't know the specifics. Soon enough we get the over the top spark to the plot. While one of Mack's kids nearly drowns, the youngest daughter is kidnapped. Despite a busy park and numerous people, no one saw the perpetrator or him taking the daughter. She apparently didn't make a sound. It's little things like this that bog the movie down. It's not realistic and makes the script feel amateurish. There's no way the daughter was abducted as depicted. The story is crafted with a sledgehammer, whatever it takes to get to the next scene.
Tim McGraw is a standout, the helpful neighbor that's trapped in movie that is lacking. Octavia Spencer as God does a fine job, she just doesn't have a lot to work with. While the movie tried to have a dark tone, when Mack meets God the tone becomes almost comedic. This bounces between members of the trinity and features a water walking race between Mack and Jesus. It's as ridiculous as it sounds. Mack is dealing with the death of his daughter, but his mental anguish just vanishes. The plot often just takes the easiest way to get to the next point.
This doesn't present an opinion and let you determine your thoughts. It tells you what to think. This is a movie where you know where it's going every step of the way. Do religious movies have to be heavy handed? Apparently.
Donnie Darko (2001) is what I want a religious movie to attempt. That felt like a religious movie, but it's ambiguous. It lets you draw your own conclusions, but to me it felt relifious. Upon watching the director's cut a few years later, the only addition to the film seemed to be the addition of the word "God" multiple times. That only confirmed what I thought Donnie Darko was.
I did like the final few scenes, but that's probably just a contrast to how much I didn't like the rest of the movie. In most other movies, I'd criticize the conclusion for bringing it down. The same ending here is an improvement.
Thursday Movie Picks: Television Edition: Non-English Language TV Series
Hello there, it's Thursday Movie Picks's time, the weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves where you share three movies to fit the theme of the week each Thursday.
Wow, this week was hard. There are so many non-English TV series I've seen in my short life I did not know which to pick. So, to make my life easier, I'm going theme within a theme, and I'm picking three German language TV series I love. Now that I think about it, it's a double theme within a theme since they all are about cops.
Kommissar Rex (1994-2004)
In Vienna, a cop and his colleagues solve crimes with a German Sheppard named Rex. I grew up watching this series and it's pretty good. I've seen the episodes so many times I know them by heart and still they manage to keep me interested until the end. They made an Italian version too recently but I never got into it because I didn't like the cast. I only watched an episode because it was set in Vienna and it had one of my favourite characters of the original series.
Der letzte Bulle (2010-2014)
A cop reawakens from a 20-year-long coma only to find out that the world has changed completely. This one is awesome. It's the kind of cop who doesn't like playing by the rules and doesn't care about laws. Along with his younger partner, he gives the show the perfect balance between humour and seriousness. And those 80s/90s songs? Absolutely amazing!
Alarm fĂĽr Cobra 11 - Die Autobahnpolizei (1996- )
In Koln, two police inspectors and their team fight all sort of criminals they encounter daily on the highway. If this was a film, I'd probably give it 1.5 stars because of all the nonsense, plot holes, impossible stunts and because basically every single car explodes, but it's fun. The leads have a great chemistry which is incredible since Erdogan Atalay's (he's in the series since the second episode of the first series) partner keeps dying or moving and a new character/actor arrives every two or three series.
Wednesday, 26 July 2017
Quo Vado? (2016)
Genre
Comedy
Director
Gennaro Nunzinate
Country
Italy
Cast
Checco Zalone, Eleonora Giovanardi, Ninni Bruschetta, Sonia Bergamasco, Maurizio Micheli, Paolo Pierobon, Lino Banfi, Ludovica Mudugno, Azzurra Martino, Lilia Perno, Diego Verdegiglio
Storyline
All Checco (Checco Zalone) wanted as a child was a guaranteed job as a public servant and all the privileges that come with it. And his dream has come true, but when a new reformist government vows to cut down on bureaucracy, he is forced to accept terrible conditions in order to keep his job.
Opinion
When Quo Vado? hit theatres back in January 2016 everybody was talking about how great this film was. Still, I didn't care much for it because I have seen some other Checco Zalone films and, while they were funny, they weren't comedy masterpieces. And neither is this. Actually, this one is not even as funny as I was expecting it to be.
The first reason why I didn’t care much for this film was the plot. The story of the average Italian man who only cares about his guaranteed state job and the privileges that come with it and does everything to keep it didn’t appeal me much simply because that’s the ugly truth, that kind of person is everywhere here in Italy and nobody *politicians* does anything about it. Eventually, the story turned out to be very flat, quite boring and predictable – so I guess I was right.
Also, Zalone’s mockery of the average Italian man does not work as it should. If there’s something I’ve learned watching Italian comedies is that we are usually great at making fun of our flaws. Quo Vado? fails at that. The satire is indeed pretty flat.
The humour just doesn’t work here. There’s a terrific lack of comical elements. Most of the jokes fall flat and, overall, the film just isn’t funny. I had some laughs here and there, but that’s not enough in a comedy.
The characters and acting are terrible as well. In spite of that, Checco Zalone is able to make you kind of care for him, and you’ll eventually end up rooting for him.
Still, in my humble opinion, this film is widely overrated and the only thought of it being the highest grossing Italian film of all time makes me sick.
Friends from College Season 1 Netflix Series Review
Friends from College (2017-)
Season 1 - 8 episodes (2017)
Watch Friends from College on Netflix
Created by: Francesca Delbanco, Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Keegan-Michael Key, Fred Savage, Nat Faxon, Cobie Smulders, Billy Eichner
Rating: TV-MA
Plot
This dramedy follows Harvard alums in their 40s balancing old friendships, former romantic relationships, and varying degrees of success as they reminisce about college life.
Verdict
This feels like a Saturday Night Live skit adapted to a drama. Keegan-Michael Key hams up every scene he's in and it rarely makes sense in the context of a drama. He could do the exact same thing in a SNL skit and it would fit the scene.
The audacious scenes are broken up with boilerplate drama, romances and affairs. This could be a likeable sit-com if it was toned down to be simple and funny. I didn't watch all the episodes, but I can only take so much.
Skip it.
Review
It frequently feels like it's trying too hard. It's a tepid drama with really over the top comedy relief or a unfunny comedy with a lot of standard drama. This is all over the place, going from affairs and fertility doctors directly to drug binges and illicit affairs. It's not grounded. While real life can be incredibly funny, it's not silly just to force a joke. This show has no subtlety.
A group of college friends are all back in the same city. They've experiencing varying levels of success and one of the spouses comments that the group is petty, always trying to outdo each other. That's a good hook that can take dark turns while still being funny, but the show doesn't really explore further than surface level, at least not in the four episodes I saw. Instead the show would rather present us with a trio of many trying to grab each other's genitalia because that's their special greeting from college.
Key is the opposite of a grounded reality. Taking him out of the show would make this much more realistic and more of a drama, or re-tool the show to be about this really awkward guy that's hitting a mid-life crisis of sorts while he tries to write a mainstream book. I don't know what this show is because it tries to do everything and succeeds at nothing.
Key does impressions whenever he's nervous which is far beyond my suspension of disbelief. When he runs the risk of getting caught in an affair at his partner's house as the alarm isounds, he throws a chair through the window so it will look like a break in. The show addressed how the glass will be on the wrong side of the window, but it's a decision that makes no sense, much like many decisions in this show. He then takes a call from his wife with all the commotion. Why not wait? That's the logical thing, but this show is always looking for a way to create some comedy relief out of stupid character decisions. That's fine for a wacky comedy, but this frequently seems to attempt drama.
Season 1 - 8 episodes (2017)
Watch Friends from College on Netflix
Created by: Francesca Delbanco, Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Keegan-Michael Key, Fred Savage, Nat Faxon, Cobie Smulders, Billy Eichner
Rating: TV-MA
Plot
This dramedy follows Harvard alums in their 40s balancing old friendships, former romantic relationships, and varying degrees of success as they reminisce about college life.
Verdict
This feels like a Saturday Night Live skit adapted to a drama. Keegan-Michael Key hams up every scene he's in and it rarely makes sense in the context of a drama. He could do the exact same thing in a SNL skit and it would fit the scene.
The audacious scenes are broken up with boilerplate drama, romances and affairs. This could be a likeable sit-com if it was toned down to be simple and funny. I didn't watch all the episodes, but I can only take so much.
Skip it.
Review
It frequently feels like it's trying too hard. It's a tepid drama with really over the top comedy relief or a unfunny comedy with a lot of standard drama. This is all over the place, going from affairs and fertility doctors directly to drug binges and illicit affairs. It's not grounded. While real life can be incredibly funny, it's not silly just to force a joke. This show has no subtlety.
A group of college friends are all back in the same city. They've experiencing varying levels of success and one of the spouses comments that the group is petty, always trying to outdo each other. That's a good hook that can take dark turns while still being funny, but the show doesn't really explore further than surface level, at least not in the four episodes I saw. Instead the show would rather present us with a trio of many trying to grab each other's genitalia because that's their special greeting from college.
Key is the opposite of a grounded reality. Taking him out of the show would make this much more realistic and more of a drama, or re-tool the show to be about this really awkward guy that's hitting a mid-life crisis of sorts while he tries to write a mainstream book. I don't know what this show is because it tries to do everything and succeeds at nothing.
Key does impressions whenever he's nervous which is far beyond my suspension of disbelief. When he runs the risk of getting caught in an affair at his partner's house as the alarm isounds, he throws a chair through the window so it will look like a break in. The show addressed how the glass will be on the wrong side of the window, but it's a decision that makes no sense, much like many decisions in this show. He then takes a call from his wife with all the commotion. Why not wait? That's the logical thing, but this show is always looking for a way to create some comedy relief out of stupid character decisions. That's fine for a wacky comedy, but this frequently seems to attempt drama.
PODCAST 266: Godzilla Vs Destoroyah & Monkey Shines
To the Bone (2017)
Genres
Drama, Comedy
Director
Marti Noxon
Country
USA
Cast
Lily Collins, Keanu Reeves, Carrie Preston, Lili Taylor, Alex Sharp, Liana Liberato, Brooke Smith, Leslie Bob, Kathryn Prescott, Ciara Quinn Bravo, Maya Eshet, Lindsay McDowell, Retta, Joanna Sanchez, Alanna Ubach
Storyline
20-year-old Ellen (Lily Collins) enters a group home run by an unconventional doctor (Keanu Reeves) as her latest attempt at healing from anorexia.
Opinion
To the Bone came to my attention a couple of weeks ago when the media across the world labelled it as a movie promoting anorexia. Having suffered from an eating disorder myself, I was very curious to see it. And frankly, I don't think it does such a thing. If anything, it can be an eye opener for those suffering from this illness.
Though the story of Ellen and through her eyes, the film offers a good insight on anorexia and eating disorders in general. It is quite hard to sit through, especially if you have gone through something similar - watching Ellen obsessively doing all those sit-ups to burn calories, scrapping the bread of the chicken breast, well, I went through that and it was almost unbearable for me to watch. All I could think of was, I cannot believe I used to do this to myself. It's experience that tells me this movie has the potential to help.
Truly astonishing is the lead, Lily Collins. Although at times her character is making fun of the illness, laughing about spitting food or using laxatives, and it doesn't seem to have a lot of depth or care for the illness - I have to say though that Noxon crafted a very detailed character -, it's thought Lily Collins's eyes that Ellen's suffering transpires. She is really excellent.
However, To the Bones isn't perfect. While it is interesting and engaging and it has a nice balance of dark humour and drama, the story is a bit flawed. The romantic subplot has too much room and takes away the focus from the main storyline. Also, the ending is pretty terrible. It feels like Noxon was out of time and had to finish as soon as possible. It's just not the right ending for the film.
That said, overall this is a pretty good film, so, if you have Netflix, I do recommend you give it a chance.
Though the story of Ellen and through her eyes, the film offers a good insight on anorexia and eating disorders in general. It is quite hard to sit through, especially if you have gone through something similar - watching Ellen obsessively doing all those sit-ups to burn calories, scrapping the bread of the chicken breast, well, I went through that and it was almost unbearable for me to watch. All I could think of was, I cannot believe I used to do this to myself. It's experience that tells me this movie has the potential to help.
Truly astonishing is the lead, Lily Collins. Although at times her character is making fun of the illness, laughing about spitting food or using laxatives, and it doesn't seem to have a lot of depth or care for the illness - I have to say though that Noxon crafted a very detailed character -, it's thought Lily Collins's eyes that Ellen's suffering transpires. She is really excellent.
However, To the Bones isn't perfect. While it is interesting and engaging and it has a nice balance of dark humour and drama, the story is a bit flawed. The romantic subplot has too much room and takes away the focus from the main storyline. Also, the ending is pretty terrible. It feels like Noxon was out of time and had to finish as soon as possible. It's just not the right ending for the film.
That said, overall this is a pretty good film, so, if you have Netflix, I do recommend you give it a chance.
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