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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 258
This, upon being unfavourably impressed with "House", a little too predictable, the recommendation of my brother.
There's really very little science in it, and quite a bit of fiction a space opera without the intriguing aliens, based on outdated ideas abut human nature and ideology, all these cable networks, reality TV, Disneyfication of DEI, everyone in the world is an actor now, the characters ridiculous, the steam-punk “huntress” with her bow, the ridiculous languages with Russian Accents (how do you portray a villain? Bad accent...). That said it's visually stunning, with stellar computer graphics - first rate CGI, and it's hard to imagine acting all this against a green screen, but given the inane dialogue and ridiculous plots they're not acting too hard.
Anyways, Season 1 down and it's not grabbed me in the least. I completely disagree with Asimov's vision of the future, space-ship-go-hyperspace is not science and if we're to cross the interstellar abysses and colonize the entire Galaxy I think we'll be finding a lot more miracles than are here portrayed and our nature will need to evolve substantially to allow these wonders in...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 300
This was pretty bad. Lines of slight wit stripped by their delivery, entirely predictable plot lines, neither Schwarzenegger nor Stallone can act, but - amazing how well the jackbooted security guards (Ice Agents) at the prison and private enterprise investment in policing/incarceration (Palantir) have been represented - 2013 - and it’s only a decade later and it’s largely coming true in the US.
Bad movie, but prescient.
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 268
Stymied by a lack of interesting film choices and prompted by the promise of a "Nobody 2" I downloaded this.
To sum it up briefly "Bob Odenkirk does John Wick". Kind of a cheap and cheesy rip off, I knew what I was getting into and so it would be unfair to be critical. Amusing, but pretty silly.
That said I was amazed to see Christopher Lloyd show up in it - I mean, he was old in "Back to the Future" and - well, 30 years older in this. AND - remember when he shows up to take Marty to the future - 30 years hence - and, skip the flying cars but look at the politics...
We've arrived - none of the promise, all of the downsides.
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 350
I quite enjoyed this; peak Wes Anderson, perfectly broken symmetry and framing, perfectly (and star-studded cast) - a few notable examples, Bill Murray as God, Benedict Cumberbatch as Uncle Korda, Willem Dafoe as the Knave, and of course Benicio del Toro as Zsa Zsa to name but a few.
And, pausing it because I wanted to closer examine the backdrops, there are abundant symbols that pass by too quickly to be read on the first viewing, but some of the more obvious examples I noted were the miniature skull (Memento Mori) in relation to Zsa Zsa - first on the left, then the right, then the left again, symbolizing his relationship with death or his own mortality (miniature, in that he seems to weather and defeat all adversity), the diminished statues of Modesty or Venus behind Sister Liesl; the Kitschy painting of the mating Centaurs behind Zsa Zsa as he admonishes the children on Masterpieces; the Gap in the Tunnel, all visual jokes that contribute as much to the humour as do the dialogue and actors.
That said, it seems that other than a certain touch of Whimsy, a certain mood and definite style, quirky characters - well, for all the work that's put in to one of his films it would be nice to see a slightly deeper, or more illuminating plot.
Then again, perhaps that's his charm?
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 266
The beginning and lead up, OK, obviously an homage to "The Searchers" (1956, John Wayne).
But the ending descends into schlock horror, the premise being the people they are searching for were kidnapped by feared Cannibal Indian Tribe...
Interesting use of language (the old-timey Western dialect-speak, of which I am truly unqualified to speak but reminiscent of "Blood Meridian"), the build up, stock-character exposition, all OK, but - in the end, no payoff.
Kurt Russell looks good in it though, he aged well.
Otherwise, no point in watching this, I saved you the trouble.