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cjonesas
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Reviews
Thirteen at Dinner (1985)
[7.1] One talked and wrote too much, the other did too much with little carefulness...
One of the very best of Peter Ustinov's Hercule Poirot, it is very well made with Faye Dunaway who truly shines in a dual role. It stays more than 90 percent true to the novel, has more than acceptable flow and vibe and the weird presence of David Suchet as Inspector Japp is forgiven and forgotten after 40 years.
One talked and wrote too much, the other did too much with little carefulness. The result, both were destroyed.
I enjoyed 'Thirteen at Dinner' more than I expected.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 7
- Production value/impact: 7
- Development: 8
- Realism: 7.5
- Entertainment: 7.5
- Acting: 7.5
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 7.5
- VFX: 7
- Music/score/sound: 6
- Depth: 7
- Logic: 7
- Flow: 7
- Mystery/crime/thriller/drama: 7
- Ending: 7.
Jagged Edge (1985)
[6.2] The mesmerized defense
A semi substantial crime drama thriller with touches of mystery. In reality, 'Jagged Edge' is not awesome, made me suspect from the beginning who was guilty, though I would have liked it otherwise. Really, I wanted someone out of the blue, someone you don't see coming, middle-age with white hairs, cause after all the "combinaison" and the gloves wouldn't make you deliberately suspect someone young, besides the sharp movement, the lustful touche of the knife on her skin, those and some other tiny details unmasked the killer from the beginning for many of us.
Nevertheless, a good movie, bearing all the 80s quality marks and though not very mysterious nor logical, is one you need to watch in your lifetime if you're a fan of Jeff Bridges and Glenn Close.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 6.5
- Production value/impact: 6
- Development: 7
- Realism: 5.5
- Entertainment: 6.5
- Acting: 7.5
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 7
- VFX: 7.5
- Music/score/sound: 6.5
- Depth: 5.5
- Logic: 4
- Flow: 6
- Mystery/thriller/drama: 6
- Ending: 6.
Crépuscule pour un tueur (2023)
Orders, cigarettes, guns for ... - Fear, heart failure, death for ...
A well-made Canadian film, better watched with English subtitles, with convincing acting and above-average everything else. It is grim, it is sad and it is more or less "harrowingly" violent with lots of depressing clouds over.
Would have been better if it were made as a 4-5 parts mini-series with more developments, more background and more flashbacks-present time; then, it would have gathered another 1.5-2 ratings points.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 6
- Production value/impact: 5
- Development: 7
- Realism: 7
- Entertainment: 4.5
- Acting: 7
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 7
- VFX: 7.5
- Music/score/sound: 6.5
- Depth: 5
- Logic: 4
- Flow: 5
- Crime/drama: 6
- Ending: 6.
Breathe (2024)
[2.7] Unfathomable
A failed production on all levels, missing the marks over the sky's million stars, not having the slightest touch of entertainment, lacking basic logic, action, drama and thrill. The few famous names that are in it must have undergone full hypnosis to even be there for 30 seconds.
One of the few movies that performs under the 30 percent mark.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 3
- Production value/impact: 1
- Development: 4
- Realism: 2
- Entertainment: 2
- Acting: 2
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 4
- VFX: 3.5
- Music/score/sound: 4.5
- Depth: 3
- Logic: 2
- Flow: 2.5
- Action/thriller/drama: 2
- Ending: 2.5.
Betrayed (1988)
[5.8] Betrayed flow
A semi thrilling movie with unrealistic drama, many artificial "family" matters, not so much crime in it, not having a gripping flow and entertainment cause not having decisive leads and as much as Tom Berenger and Debra Winger endeavored and tried, they couldn't save the film all by themselves, though her relationship with Rachel was endearing and one of the forte of 'Betrayed'.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 5.5
- Production value/impact: 6
- Development: 6.5
- Realism: 6
- Entertainment: 6
- Acting: 6.5
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 7
- VFX: 6.5
- Music/score/sound: 6
- Depth: 5.5
- Logic: 2.5
- Flow: 6
- Crime/thriller/drama: 5.5
- Ending: 6.
Challengers (2024)
[6.7] Tennis?! I just saw Zendaya with a racket extension
Frankly, besides the trio "very" interesting "love" triangle romance and hard-sensation-romantic flick that sometimes made you wonder what tennis has to do with and in it; could have been any other sport, golf, skating, table tennis, gymnastic and even ballet! (ballet would have been the best and depicted much more naturally and flawlessly); Nevertheless, that's an eye-candy, sweetness for the senses movie that keeps you more or less interested and invested, had it not been almost ruined with those constant "50 horrible years" time jumps and back and forth.
Zendaya is the queen of the movie and deserves awards for her acting, believable tennis (playing) as well as making the fashion industry beauties drool and sweat with awe and jealousy.
For me, 'Challengers' was believable, entertaining and as a tennis lover sort of fantastically amazing (that's me with lots of pepper and condiments in praising it), though, toward the end and especially that abrupt ending, was a little head banging and unsatisfying both relating to its sport tale as well as its foggy romantic (hubby-wife-GF) conclusion.
Zendaya, I now believe in you more as an actress who sometimes looks like a very lean and distant cousin of Sofia Loren; you can act, you can show your emotions and maybe time for you to deservingly grow up and play more R productions for all your fans' pleasure.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 6.5
- Production value/impact: 7
- Development: 8
- Realism: 7.5
- Entertainment: 7
- Acting: 7
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 8
- VFX: 8
- Music/score/sound: 6
- Depth: 6
- Logic: 5.5
- Flow: 7
- Drama/romance/sport: 6.5
- Ending: 4.
The Dry (2020)
[5.1] Dry as the title
A too slow-burn, snail-pace "crime drama mystery" where the lead actor is not suitable for it, too soft, too "shy", too indecisive in his overall actions and acting as if guilt-ridden.
Besides the last 15-20 minutes where all is revealed with gripping flow and the snail turning to a rabbit, the rest of the film is just a canned buildup for that.
Looking forward to "The Dry 2" !
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 5.5
- Production value/impact: 6
- Development: 7
- Realism: 6
- Entertainment: 2.5
- Acting: 6.5
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 7
- VFX: 7
- Music/score/sound: 6
- Depth: 5
- Logic: 3
- Flow: 2.5
- Crime/drama/mystery: 3.5
- Ending: 3.5.
Late Night with the Devil (2023)
[6.1] A "Mr. Wriggle" in each one of us
An original horror "talk show" movie with better flow and entertainment than pure horror. Labeling it as a horror is misleading, it has some great 70s visual effects, semi-terrific acting by the whole cast, too few gut-wrenching real horror and all it basically does is play with your mind. All that would have been quite nice, pushing it towards a 6+1 ratings, had it had a more shocking and developed ending. Not just showing the "unbelievable" and then finishing.
What I would like in horror movies is special, long and detailed attention to horrific happenings and in that concept, the present movie is just "talk show-esque" semi-plus-entertaining.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 6.5
- Production value/impact: 6.5
- Development: 7.5
- Realism: 7
- Entertainment: 7
- Acting: 7
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 7.5
- VFX: 7.5
- Music/score/sound: 6.5
- Depth: 4.5
- Logic: 1.5
- Flow: 7
- Horror/drama: 5.5
- Ending: 3.5.
Sting (2024)
[4.3] Watch "Slugs" or "The Nest" instead
An unsatisfying kiddo spider "giant" movie in a very strange unsafe apartment building where nearly nobody lives besides an alien spider from space that lays eggs all by itself.
The problem with the movie is that it's more thrilling comical than pure horror thriller and besides the poor scientist and the brave little girl, we have just frowny funny characters in unrealistically tense situations.
The movie is lame, should have been made as a real R, in a bigger apartment complex with mutant spiders that make their victims morph and transform in turn to spiders with horrifying special effects.
"Vermines" (aka Infested) wasn't good, but it packed at least a big "restricted" punch.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 4
- Production value/impact: 3
- Development: 5.5
- Realism: 4.5
- Entertainment: 4.5
- Acting: 5.5
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 5.5
- VFX: 8
- Music/score/sound: 5.5
- Depth: 3
- Logic: 1.5
- Flow: 4
- Horror/sci-fi/thriller/drama: 4
- Ending: 2.5.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)
[4.4] King Kong is a "daddy"
A below-average production where King Kong, Godzilla and Mothra just don't dance in it. Everything is just silly average and entertainingly bad with the humans doing nothing besides cashing paychecks.
My review is just too short, I know, thank you Entertainment Entity! The next similar movie in a potential 2027 (+0.5) screentime would have King Kong ride a newly tamed Godzilla with the humans in the background watching in fear and awe and clapping hard.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 2
- Production value/impact: 4.5
- Development: 5.5
- Realism: 4.5
- Entertainment: 4
- Acting: 4.5
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 5
- VFX: 9
- Music/score/sound: 5.5
- Depth: 3.5
- Logic: 1
- Flow: 4.5
- Action/adventure/fantasy/drama: 4.5
- Ending: 4.
For All Mankind (2019)
[8.4] Stones turned to jewel
When you start watching a series from a choice of 2-3 ones, not being sure which one is the one to swallow and 5 episodes in you totally forget about the other "candidates", that speaks lengths in favor of 'For All Mankind'.
Started with the first season and was already fully immersed into the drama, the superb sci-fi achievements and ground-breaking spatial plots.
I was never a special fan of space sci-fi from 'Star Trek' main and spinoffs to 'The Mandalorian', but in 'For All Mankind' I found a whole new interest in scientific science-fiction, Moon and Mars colonization deepened with believable drama around the ones involved in the show, some may call it soapish, but for me it complemented the space and scientific features of the series oh so well, passing important messages in-between.
Just finished the fourth season and while my eyes are wet with tiny tears droplets, I just wish that I already had the fifth season's episodes in my fist.
Again, a stellar show by Apple Original and a red gem that is not hidden anymore. Ultra highly recommended. It's the space sci-fi version of 'The Killing' and 'The Americans' combined.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 8
- Production value/impact: 9
- Development: 9.5
- Realism: 8.5
- Entertainment: 9
- Acting: 9
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 8.5
- VFX: 9
- Music/score/sound: 7.5
- Depth: 8.5
- Logic: 6.5
- Flow: 8.5
- Sci-fi/drama: 8
- Ending: 7.5.
Vermines (2023)
[5.4] The real "vermines"?!
Semi-interesting in its core as an improbable screenplay and plots, the first half is better and weaker at the same time, too much build-up and development, though nevertheless better than the second half.
The problem is it couldn't be taken seriously, there's no graphic visuals kills and gore, though the cocoons and infestation are well-made.
The ending very improbable and unsatisfying and just there for a "gateau" sequel.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 5
- Production value/impact: 6
- Development: 7
- Realism: 6.5
- Entertainment: 5.5
- Acting: 7
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 7
- VFX: 7.5
- Music/score/sound: 5.5
- Depth: 3.5
- Logic: 1.5
- Flow: 6
- Horror/drama: 6
- Ending: 2.
Murder by Death (1976)
[5.2] 00:00 am
A mostly uninteresting comedy crime mystery with just big ounces of good acting, setting, mansion and costume design, with imbroglio humor and lots of understatement parodies. It is not extraordinarily entertaining cause it's weak in its core, its flow suffers all because of the poor logic and shaky plots and the ending is just nonsense mixed with horrible finishing vibes, all departing the mansion and that's it!
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 5.5
- Production value/impact: 6
- Development: 7
- Realism: 4.5
- Entertainment: 4
- Acting: 7
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 7.5
- VFX: 7
- Music/score/sound: 6.5
- Depth: 4.5
- Logic: 1.5
- Flow: 4
- Comedy/crime/mystery: 5.5
- Ending: 3.
True Lies (2023)
[4.9] True tickles
Some productions are true mumbo jumbo, this one is so entertainingly bad that it is not even mumbo jumbo lies, it's just sets of pictures with not-believable, discredited storyline plots that flow and pass before your eyes.
It's like watching an action adventure "comedy" series while somebody is tickling you for 40 minutes per episode. It is hilariously bad, but it is nevertheless hilariously zero-IQ entertaining.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 4.5
- Production value/impact: 5.5
- Development: 6.5
- Realism: 4.5
- Entertainment: 3
- Acting: 5.5
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 7.5
- VFX: 7.5
- Music/score/sound: 6
- Depth: 4
- Logic: 1
- Flow: 4
- Action/adventure/comedy: 5.5
- Ending: 3.5.
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
[6.6] "Dogs eat dogs"
Semi-interesting early Quentin Tarantino movie, more well-acted than anything else with decent development, but with far less crime drama thrill than I expected.
Its low-budget shows up in alternate fashions, is a little disjointed, the visual effects not bright, especially the "blood" color and overall its narrative and acting is more satisfying than other parts.
Mr. Blond better have lived, Mr. Orange couldn't have survived that long, let alone killing him and the trio stand-off and shoot-out in the end brought minimal satisfaction as did the last "unfinished" frame with Mr. White.
Well-done, though could have benefited with a longer runtime, around 25 minutes more.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 6.5
- Production value/impact: 6.5
- Development: 7
- Realism: 7
- Entertainment: 7
- Acting: 7.5
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 7
- VFX: 6.5
- Music/score/sound: 7
- Depth: 6.5
- Logic: 4.5
- Flow: 6.5
- Crime/thriller/drama: 7.5
- Ending: 5.
Mean Girls (2024)
[4.8] What was better, smoother, stronger?
A musical mumbo jumbo that is not even half-comedy, only super teenagers will like this mess of a production. Everybody tried hard to be believable, cute, funny, nice, ugly and more or less to deliver, but they tried too hard. All of them.
It's hard to watch it at normal speed, some will even skip the musical parts, some will discard the un-funny parts, but a thing that all may agree is that the 2004 OG was better, smoother, stronger.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 4.5
- Production value/impact: 5.5
- Development: 6.5
- Realism: 6.5
- Entertainment: 2.5
- Acting: 5.5
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 7.5
- VFX: 7.5
- Music/score/sound: 5.5
- Depth: 3
- Logic: 2
- Flow: 4
- Comedy/musical: 4
- Ending: 3.5.
Repulsion (1965)
[5.4] What nosy neighbors!
A not so bright movie and production by the big director, with just great weird acting by the main strange actress. It is not a horror per se, has some faulty logic throughout, is more of a sad drama than anything else, not even gripping and throat-clenching in a horrorful way.
I expected more of it and if it had a stronger ending, it would have been more satisfying, really.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 5
- Production value/impact: 5.5
- Development: 7
- Realism: 7
- Entertainment: 2
- Acting: 7.5
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 6.5
- VFX: 6
- Music/score/sound: 6.5
- Depth: 4.5
- Logic: 3.5
- Flow: 5
- Horror/thriller/drama: 5.5
- Ending: 4.
Scrambled (2023)
[6.6] Sweet hope
A marvelous, touching, emotional and funny movie with great acting by the writer, director and talented actress who embodied her character believably, touchingly and smoothly.
It has important messages, never gets you bored, never let you down and surely is not for everybody.
I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Recommended to women who struggle emotionally in life.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 6.5
- Production value/impact: 6.5
- Development: 7.5
- Realism: 6.5
- Entertainment: 7
- Acting: 7.5
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 7
- VFX: 7
- Music/score/sound: 6.5
- Depth: 6.5
- Logic: 4
- Flow: 7
- Comedy: 7
- Ending: 6.
The End We Start From (2023)
[4.3] Rain, mud and humidity
A horrible, semi-horrific, semi-gripping, very insipid journey of a woman and a baby through rain, devastation and hardship. It truly has nothing to offer thrillingly and dramatically in the spawn of 100 minutes and is one of the more boring-synonym productions of the last 10 years at least.
Still bewildered, what I've watched wasn't a movie, but a sort of spiritual journey. It's like a sort of soft exorcism in the rain, mud and complete humidity.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 3
- Production value/impact: 5
- Development: 6
- Realism: 6.5
- Entertainment: 1
- Acting: 5.5
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 7
- VFX: 7.5
- Music/score/sound: 6
- Depth: 5
- Logic: 3
- Flow: 1
- Drama/thriller: 3
- Ending: 1.5.
Abigail (2024)
[6.2] Kidnappers are like stranded swimmers in an open ocean
A mild horror thriller movie that starts off good, promising with reasonable amounts of thrilling anticipation, but derails pretty quickly as soon as the "big" reveal is shown and figured out, all despite the near superb acting by Abigail character, the young, smart, charismatic and talented Alisha Weir.
The production is entertainingly generic and all the kidnappers, but one, deserved a blood-sucking fate, potentially leaving Abigail "hurt" and "injured" with plenty of room for a sequel as she grows up and goes to college with newly turned baby vampires.
Seriously, I expected more from it, more gut-wrenching real horror with a more robust ending that as it is, feels pretty weak.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 6
- Production value/impact: 6
- Development: 7
- Realism: 7
- Entertainment: 6.5
- Acting: 7
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 8
- VFX: 8
- Music/score/sound: 6.5
- Depth: 6
- Logic: 3.5
- Flow: 6.5
- Horror/thriller/drama: 6.5
- Ending: 2.5.
Something in the Water (2024)
Unless you fly or are invincible, metric tons of salty and fresh H2O are bad for you
A sad, incomplete, generic, gripping and semi-entertaining shark-the-hated-species production with LGB-woke themes that is not made horrificly bad.
It is not awful, as always has very strong illogical points and "needed" to be done best as a 6-part series with different people and very different outcomes as the number of victims.
As long as they stick to the old formula with increasing low budgets, they won't be successful.
The acting and the emotions were quite good for such a movie, nothing to complain about, the sharks looked like bull sharks which are very aggressive and opportunistic, even in the middle of the ocean and the result of course not bright. None of them would have survived, especially Meg and the duo that trailed her with turbo fins and tails.
In shark movies, I'm never satisfied, never root for any shark and wonder what if orcas came to the rescue. Never saw that in any entertainment and would very much like to watch a thriller with the trio humans-sharks-orcas with completely unpredictable outcomes.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 4
- Production value/impact: 5.5
- Development: 6
- Realism: 6.5
- Entertainment: 6
- Acting: 6
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 7
- VFX: 6.5
- Music/score/sound: 4.5
- Depth: 4
- Logic: 1.5
- Flow: 4.5
- Thriller/drama: 4.5
- Ending: 4.
Civil War (2024)
[6.2] All it brings is chaos
A dystopian-mode movie that I expected so much more of in view of its ratings; but, as it turns out, it is just gritty with all the violence that unrest, insurrection and civil war generate and is just brutally well-made with hints of bright acting, mind-shaking plots and as expected dismal logic.
Don't count on it, don't view it as something that might happen in a distant / alternate future. Just watch it as a form of production and feel the depicted horrors through their camera lenses.
Alex Garland has a visionary message, but all it brings is chaos.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 5.5
- Production value/impact: 6.5
- Development: 7
- Realism: 8
- Entertainment: 6
- Acting: 7
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 7.5
- VFX: 8
- Music/score/sound: 6.5
- Depth: 6.5
- Logic: 2
- Flow: 6
- Action/adventure/thriller/drama: 6.5
- Ending: 3.5.
Red Right Hand (2024)
[5.5] Severe and violent
A violent movie, the sort of which needn't to be done nowadays, but are nevertheless funded, filmed and produced. The acting is on-point, violently and emotionally so, the story and plots mostly revengeful and hollow, though well-filmed and paced and the ending could have bore more realism, be lengthier and a little less happy-viby with a 5-8 years-later showing and depiction of Savannah.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 4.5
- Production value/impact: 4.5
- Development: 6.5
- Realism: 7
- Entertainment: 6
- Acting: 6
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 6.5
- VFX: 7.5
- Music/score/sound: 6
- Depth: 4.5
- Logic: 2
- Flow: 6
- Action/drama/thriller: 6
- Ending: 4.5.
Masquerade (2021)
[4.8] Everybody's responsible
An average and interesting movie at the same time where everything is mishmash. It could have been so much more, but with a screenplay plots so confused that even the writers didn't quite figure out where it was going and headed, it couldn't generate satisfaction.
The last 15 minutes was their last thrown arrow that disappeared into the surrounding woods.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 4.5
- Production value/impact: 4.5
- Development: 6.5
- Realism: 5
- Entertainment: 4.5
- Acting: 5.5
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 6.5
- VFX: 6.5
- Music/score/sound: 6
- Depth: 4.5
- Logic: 2
- Flow: 5
- Horror/mystery/thriller: 4
- Ending: 3.
The 5th Wave (2016)
[5.8] The waves of wasted potentials
An incomplete movie, gracing us with semi-apocalyptic scenes and the quest of a sister for her younger brother. That's basically what the movie is and above-average. If they didn't reach out for a sequel and nothing of that sort was planned and green-lit, then maybe a mini-series would have been more suitable; but I suspect that from the get-go they wanted to make it as it is.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 5.5
- Production value/impact: 6.5
- Development: 7
- Realism: 6
- Entertainment: 6
- Acting: 6
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 7.5
- VFX: 8
- Music/score/sound: 6.5
- Depth: 6
- Logic: 2.5
- Flow: 5.5
- Action/adventure/sci-fi/thriller: 6
- Ending: 3.