Reviews

Setup, punchline, setup, punchline. This works great for brilliant, imaginative comedians like Mitch Hedberg and Dimitri Martin, but Mark's payoffs are more at home at a high top in a bar.

You can't argue that Mark isn't clever, but actual laughs are sadly sparse.

The rest of this review is dedicated to the brave men and women who created this special. It was directed by James Webb, who discovered Mark in deep space, tapping his space suit's radio link saying, "is this thing on?" It was filmed in Chicago as established by an early shot of Chicago and the background sounds of hot dogs unwrapping.

It's not terrible. But I am here to tell you why it doesn't meet my expectations.

The story is straightforward. This is often fine, but puts pressure on other aspects of the presentation to offer more.

The acting is perfectly fine for Caan, but not special. There is actually not that much range to the character, and most of the performance is in one of two emotional states. Bates hits some high notes but also ping pongs between two straightforward approaches. I'll admit I flinched when she appeared in the flash of lightning.

The cinematography is uninspired and forgettable.

The first 30 minutes are dull.

There is a scene where Annie tells a lively story to Paul sitting at his typewriter. Between the acting, but more importantly the blocking and the editing, it presents as though an exaggerated wind up and delivery that is quite unnatural even for a psychopathic character like Annie.

There are of course areas that are due credit. The music is suspenseful and seamless with the action. Richard Farnsworth as Sheriff Buster and Frances Sternhagen as his wife and deputy Virginia are a delight.

This is the only critical review in this list, so hopefully it's helpful to the curious even if it rankles some fans.

I was very excited to watch this show but you'd better like your drama laid on buttercream thick. The acting is also distractingly weak in several scenes. Both of these demerits are on display in the scene with the dad yelling in the bedroom.

I'm bummed.

At the time of this review, there are no details for this beyond the name, that it's a short, and that it was released in 2020.

If this is in fact the Disney Pixar short that is available on Disney Plus, about a rabbit trying to build a home underground, then know that it is great and totally worth your 6 minutes!

I appreciate many simple, slow-burn films, such as The Lighthouse, I'm Thinking of Endings Things, and In the Bedroom, so I am not allergic to the style.

This one may simply come down to taste. In reading the A. V. Club's glowing review, the aspects that delighted the critic did nothing for me.

The script offers little and is dulled by a painfully slow pace. Examples of things that didn't do it for me:

-Multiple minutes were used to show someone arriving somewhere -A Cage monologue talking about periodic earthquakes that doesn't seem to make any sense nor have clear relevance to its context -Odd editing choices: >Characters are cut off repeatedly during non-filler dialogue >An intimate scene between two characters seeing each other for the first time in who knows how long, that never cuts to even a single close-up of either character, staying in a wide shot that shows no facial expressions for the duration of the scene. There is not even interesting body language that the director chose to focus on or anything that could be offered as a motivation for this -We are given little reason to care even slightly for any of the characters, so when things happen to them, there is no emotional payoff

You could of course do much worse, but even at a modest 92 minutes, I wish I'd done something else.

(Better options to watch are at the end of this review.)

Predestination offers a moderately compelling story free of detrimental plot holes or logical inconsistencies. Its central concept is also likely to be novel to the first-time viewer.

Where the film suffers is in its presentation. Most of the script is narration or explanatory monologue, the latter often delivered over cut scenes of what's being described. While these narrative techniques are not unusual, they are best used sparingly; Predestination is Exhibit A in the case for why.

Think of a thriller where a central character explains a discovery or final twist as you see action that was hidden from you up until that point. Or a character study or biopic that opens with the protagonist laying the groundwork for the rest of the story with some critical details upfront. Now imagine that technique used for most of a film. Have you heard of "show, don't tell?" Predestination is all tell.

I'll concede that there are excellent productions that use these techniques to this degree, but they demand two prerequisites: a standout script and first-class acting. Dialogue must be profound and tight, free of filler. The acting must be so exceptional that you forget they're acting at all. Without either -- or in this case, both -- the presentation quickly grows tired and burdensome. The Man from Earth is a good parallel from the modern sci-fi canon that actually suffers a disastrous fate from its even worse marks in both measures.

Ultimately Predestination is an average film, a far cry from the masterpiece or disaster that other reviewers would have you believe.

Similar titles I'd recommend you watch instead: Moon, Looper, Edge of Tomorrow, Minority Report, Inception, Interstellar, Never Let Me Go, The One I Love, Sunshine, Donnie Darko, Source Code, Twelve Monkeys, Gattaca

You'll notice that most reviews for this film are 1-3 stars and full of complaints. But other reviews give high marks and the film overall has a good score on IMDb, so not everyone hated it.

And yet there are no reviews with middling scores like 5s and 6s. This film either works for you, or it doesn't. If you have no appetite for unusual filmmaking, DO NOT WATCH THIS. You will inevitably hate it as so many others have warned.

If, however, you can accept the following terms, A Ghost Story has much to offer:

• This is a study of characters and existence
• There is very little dialogue
• The main character is a man in a sheet with eyeholes cut out
• You will be offered more questions than answers

If you have an inquisitive mind, hunger for philosophical fare, and are tired of the Hollywood formula, you may find a great deal of satisfaction in watching this film - and discussing it with others.

As I scanned the movie listings the other day perusing the newest titles, my selection seemed limited. Finally, my friend and I concluded that we would see Dodgeball in the tradition of a thought-free, relaxing evening. As we entered the movie theater, my expectations for this movie were nothing short of average. I supposed I would laugh occasionally, while easily following a basic, juvenilisitc comedy-driven plot.

Only half of my hypothesis was accurate. While the basic innerworkings of the movie were no more complicated than those of Tommy Boy, I found myself laughing with such rigor at times that I had to tear my eyes from the screen in an effort to slow my laughter and gulp down some oxygen. Even while serious, intentionally unfunny scenes took place, I sat staring eagerly at the screen with that oblivious, airheaded expression you sometimes catch on a dog when you're scratching him behind the ears.

I can say without hesitation that the funniest aspect of this movie is Ben Stiller's character, White Goodman. His mannerisms, gestures, and greatest of all, comebacks, are a marvel in themselves. His lines, while funny simply by nature, are expanded into humor bombshells as one line after the next hits you right in the funny bone.

I recommend this movie not only to anyone under the age of 18, for obvious reasons, but to adults alike for its over-the-top style and in-your-face attitude. With more cameos than you can count, I guarantee a night filled with laughter and enjoyment. Be sure to stick around for the credits. Trust me.

*** out of ****