zampino-2's reviews

There's much to enjoy in this movie, which paints a colorful and fashionable future as a dystopia of wealth and lower classes through the eyes of four young women at the mercy of their families. The obvious appeal is visual, from couture costuming, makeup and hair styles, to interesting cinematography and visual effects; for Alice Waddington's first time as director she managed to tie those elements together in a way that maintains interest, and keeps the plot succinctly controlled. Solid performances from Awkwafina, Danielle Macdonald, Milla Jovovich, and Danielle Macdonald keep the audience engaged, and Emma Roberts is eccentrically interesting, though her character confuses.

I like the overall plot concept, which reminds of Stepford Wives with a sci fi twist that has a good level of plausibility. However, a secondary inexplicable "supernatural" layer mars what could have been the more believable story line, and the last 10 minutes either need a lot of additional information for the viewer or, in my opinion, should have been cut completely. While the end adds "excitement" to the finale, for this viewer, it was a futile attempt to add a blockbuster fantasy element that was completely unnecessary. That doesn't make the movie less interesting in the end, and the last moments of the film tie back to the start making a reasonably satisfying story arc. I would have enjoyed learning more about the class distinctions in this society, which would have been far more interesting than spending time on the baffling plot lines aforementioned.

Generally speaking, a movie worth watching; it's a pity the movie didn't have good US distribution; and I'll keep an eye out for Waddington's next.

Taken from the perspective of Bolden's asylum residency and the reflections of his life, success, frustration and failure, I found the movie at times restless, but overall very interesting. The period sets, costuming, and social tension make the movie work, as the shards of his life and his ambition dovetail into his ultimate failure and loss. In reality, little is known of his music or the facts of his life, but his influence was profound and shaped jazz (jass) music. To do Bolden justice I would be happy to see a proper documentary, but if this movie keeps his accomplishments in our culture's mind then it was a good endeavor. Now go read his Wikipedia page, and listen to some early King Oliver or Louis Armstrong records!

I really had low expectations because the movie looked to be a sort of Gossip Girl mystery thriller. Instead I was quickly engaged in the story, enjoying the sense of humor which is a little vicious but on point. The twists in the plot keep you wondering, and the style and locations were engaging. There's even a moment of Hammer Horror-esque back story that tickled me. All of this was because the acting was on point, the direction was well done, and the editing well paced. It was really not what I expected, and I was glad I was talked into seeing this.

Any movie this polarizing must be interesting, and its overall review and awards seem to bear that out. In a nutshell, a suspension of disbelief is essential for this movie, which allows the incredibly creative canvas The Daniels built to sink in. The plot is an exploration of the reality of existence, isolation, sex and desire, death, and survival. That it's done with slapstick, lowbrow and black comedy engages the open-minded viewer, and if you're not easily offended, it never bores or loses interest. I found myself laughing frequently, not at the easy gas jokes, but at the acerbic and observational situations presented, and the character's unlikely reactions to them; there is a level of intelligent insight that wouldn't work in a realistic film. Both actors do great work in a difficult environment, but Radcliffe really hits a home run with his portrayal, both physically and emotionally; I'm impressed that he would choose a movie like this, and that he threw himself so fully into the role. That last comment goes for both actors, because without their level of commitment to their roles this movie could have easily been a failure. Kudos to the studio, directors and actors.

I can't figure out the (relatively) low rating on this movie, which I found to be a fun and imaginative tale with a message of hope. It's very much a Disney movie, with clear references to the Tomorrowland concept, but without hammering the idea. The science fiction is a bit vague, but uses well known concepts in interesting ways, borrowing from much that is past while creating a unique story that kept my interest throughout. The casting is great, both for new comers and well established actors; having the brother be the Humanex from Extant was a nice touch. The final solution is also a bit vague, but promotes the concept of hope and perseverance, which is a welcome change from most contemporary science fiction films. A good story well told that captured my attention.

Considering the budget, I was surprised that "Renegades" works well as part of the broader Star Trek canvas. It also presents an interesting concept that uses well-known references to the franchise in enjoyable ways. And last, it's good to see some well-known characters taking part. Kudos to the tenacity of everyone involved to make this project happen.

That said, much in the story is rushed, unfinished or underdeveloped; I felt like the plot was trying too hard to establish a larger story, to the detriment of the story at hand. That shows potential for a series, but left a lot of lingering questions about how we got to the point that the story embarks from. Given the budget I'm not surprised that the dialog and character interaction is awkward, and I suspect a bigger budget with more time to develop characters and rewrite dialog would have made this feel more like a "real" Star Trek episode.

The graphics and effects were quite good given the budget. Many scenes however were exaggerated, probably the worst being the battle of Singh and the alien big bad. This is as much a problem with the genre, as I see ridiculous battles that inexplicably play out in the protagonist's favor in too many shows. I don't see that as an excuse, and I hope more thought will be put into cause and effect if the series continue, which I hope it does.

I watched this movie with a group of adults, friends who are neither pretentious nor critics. We laughed our asses off. The plot is directed towards North Korea but also at the ridiculous industry that supports such interviews, and at our government who actually attempts to pull off ridiculous or terrifying concepts like this. The humor is often adolescent, but also topical and on point. The chemistry between Franco and Rogen is superb, and for the most part the pacing keeps the viewer engaged and amused. A few scenes, like that with the 3 doe-eyed children on guitars, are at the same time hilarious and disgusting, but it works. Ultimately it's a fantasy political satire, so don't look for an informative or sophisticated movie here, just a fun ride with some insightful moments and a lot of good laughs.

I've read The Hobbit several times, and always found the story charming--an adventure in a fantastical world that takes a likable character and throws him into adversity, which he challenges and succeeds at. I first read it as a child before reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy, allowing the story to unfold in its depth as the author himself became more captivated with his world, and to which he added detail in wonderful ways.

Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy takes that original wonder of the story and throws into the Hollywood shredder. Replete with never-ending battle scenes and unbelievable behavior from a cast of super-hero characters, I found myself scratching my head as to what book Jackson was representing. Surely not the beloved book of my childhood, which balanced light and dark without the dramatic romances, bludgeoning action, or animated ridiculousness of this film. In the end I was actually glad that Jackson removed the trip back to The Shire, despite my enjoying that section of the book, only because I was so fatigued from watching the endless battles. What a shame.

Suspend expectations for this movie, it's not really a science fiction film, it's not a drama, it's a perspective movie about social convention and changing moral values. In isolation the space station becomes a vehicle for observations, contrasting changing 70s values with modern times, while set in an unknown future. There's very little action, but many references to science fiction convention, which is a real hoot if you grew up during those times: the shuttles are straight out of Star Trek, the clothes from Space 1999, the station itself is a take on 2001, and the styles and attitudes belong in the 60s. The real story is told between the people on the station, and how the social shield and lies that were so common during that time increased the sense of bitterness and loneliness they engender. The story uses good tools to tell the story, like the Dr. Bot therapist filled with clichés, the old woman cryogenic frozen, or Sunshine's gerbil babies. There's a lot there, and some good laughs amongst the generally oppressive, albeit colorful and 70s tune-filled environment of the station.

I enjoyed the previous Transformers movies, but this was a complete disaster. So here's some advice for the producers and directors - Character development: This movie was a bunch of one-liners and clichés, I didn't care one bit about Wahlberg's character, nor did I think he was actually an inventor. Without a little heart this was just a mechanical cartoon.

• Cartoon: I know CG makes everyone excited. But this looked like so much of a cartoon, with hardly anything like reality. Did you really step back and think this movie had any gritty realness? The scenes in the space ship, or wherever they were, were overly complicated, plasticy, and pointless. I love eye candy, but it needs to feel real.

• Plot: What the hell was this movie about? Most of the time I had no real idea what was going on, there were so many plot elements thrown out in shorthand, references to characters I didn't fully recall. Nothing made a lot of sense in this chaotic storyline.

• Length: Really, you couldn't find a way to trim this movie to 2 hours? There was so much waste in the time line, mostly for overexcited animation that didn't do anything for the story, or dumb and pointless character comments. I was so bored and lost... Couldn't you have focused a bit to make an interesting story, to excite with less frequent explosions, crazy camera angles, and generally hyper activity? I have no idea what the criteria and expectation was for this movie, but stepping back a bit would have easily shown the excess of this movie. I hope the next director remembers to tell a story.

To the many reviewers looking for sense in this movie's nonsensical universe: you're missing the point. There are many inexplicable aspects to the plot, which becomes clear quickly in the movie. The only way to absorb this story is to suspend your typical commercial expectations and take the ride, quite literally. The arbitrary vicissitudes of life, one's role, relationship to, and frustration with society, unfold in a bizarre and violent manner in this linear microcosm, showing our tendency to self-destruction, yet somehow still holding out hope. With an excellent and diverse cast the movie holds your interest, balancing shocking scenes with provocative ideas. Which seems an accurate reflection of the balance of banality and horror that we all live in. Really quite excellent.

A bit of a comic relief episode, this is a fine example of the character interplay that makes TOS successful. It's also shows the rich Star Trek universe, with space stations, political characters, space traders, alien enemies, and unusual and desirable (to a point) space creatures. The tribbles themselves are an interesting alien life form, at first glance bewildering to Dr. McCoy, of little practical use to Mr. Spock, threatening to the Klingons, and with an inexplicable life cycle. The episode looks forward to the future of the subsequent series (TNG/DS9/Voyager) in emphasizing political influence and intrigue over the typical episodic phaser displays and bravado, the bar fight excepted. As such it became a great foil for DS9's time-traveling return to K7, and to a lesser degree the animated series' "More Trouble with Tribbles." Silly or no, it's classic trek, and a very enjoyable episode.