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Rust Creek (2018)
Gripping reality, edge-of-the-seat action!
Call me a bit prejudiced, since "survival thriller" is my favorite genre, but this movie was excellent! Pacing, action, camerawork (soundtrack not so much, but it could have just as easily done without one at all), and of course, uber realistic characters! Now, warning: if you despise the redneck/tweaker culture, DO NOT WATCH! However, if you know people like this in real life, like I do, you will get a real kick out of it. I swear, they must've hired real tweakers as actors, they were THAT good.
Moments that I particularly enjoyed (SPOILERS AHEAD):
- When the Sheriff comes to talk to Buck and Hollister for the first time, and take a look at the abandoned Jeep, something seems off about him right away.
- When Sawyer passes out on Lowell's doorstep and he takes care of her, including getting her some fitting clothes, and later mentions having a wife (who probably died, maybe even was killed by Buck and Hollister?!)
- The whole teaching to cook meth part is really cute.
- In the end where Lowell plays it off so coolly with "getting a cup of coffee" and thus saves Sawyer's life. Too bad he had to die himself...
The end is vague, wish the viewers knew for sure that Sawyer would be OK. What if she starts fighting cops? What about the dead sheriff? Wish the movie was just a bit longer to tell us that, but still, 10/10 it is.
Shelter (2014)
Dubious choices, bland characters
I liked this movie, but for the most part, I hated it. Why? Well, first of all I've been homeless myself (in a very similar situation as Hannah, actually), but I managed to fare much better than her. I am not bragging, I just couldn't understand some of the choices she has made during the course of the movie. First of all, there is more than one food pantry in NYC, plus she and Tahir made some OK money busking and panhandling, but she chooses to steal produce. Fine, stuff happens so to say, but then they squat at this ultra rich house, use the wine, the water, put on the owners' clothes and hang out for quite awhile (long enough for Hannah to kick her heroin habit!) and yet they never consider taking just a couple of the gold chains or some other small valuables, sell them and actually get a little place of their own, or a car? And don't give me the "morals" crap, because a) they were not above stealing per se, and b) this was a RICH household, a couple small items wouldn't have made any difference to them.
Then Tahir and Hannah choose to bum around (no pun intended) the NYC all fall and winter, acquiring no useful possessions (not even a pair of warm sleeping bags?), finding no jobs or gigs, and staying at the mercy of shelters. They also never consider getting married, even though that would've given Tahir more rights in the USA. They also don't even discuss traveling elsewhere, perhaps down south, for example, for the winter. Then when Tahir gets sick, Hannah tries halfheartedly to get money for his meds from her father, and when he rightfully refuses to believe her, that's the end of the conversation. She could've have him contact the pharmacy or the hospital and see for himself, or take him up on the offer of taking the next flight down to NYC, especially now that she was clean and had nothing to hide- but she didn't. Instead she got money from the security guard for some demeaning sex. Perhaps she was desperate- but even after getting the meds, she turned to the same source for more money- for two train tickets out west! Why couldn't she call her father then and have him come pick them up? As a result of all these dubious choices, Tahir dies, and Hannah is lonely and heartbroken once again (but clean, except for how long this time? Who knows.)
Yes, I did feel sad at the end, but the more I analyzed the film, the angrier I got. These people made their (cardboard) bed, now they better lie in it and not complain. Or else shut up and try harder. Like I said, I used to be homeless, but I made it through, together with my boyfriend. It is possible, and without unnecessary sacrifices!
Flight (2012)
Excellent for the most part but somewhat morally misguided
This is a pretty intense, gripping movie, which I could definitely relate to, having had problems with an alcohol and a DUI in the past, and dealing with the consequences of my bad choices in the present.I believed Whip's breakdown in the courtroom: given that he was dead drunk and coked up, I knew that he was going to snap one way or the other, and if he was tired of lying, then that's what it was. Loved the powerful, tear-inducing moment of glance exchanges between him and Ellen Block after he said "I am drunk right this moment".
However, here are the reasons I am giving it 8 out of 10:
- In the end, Whip mentions that he sent letters of apology to the victims, even though it was proved that the plane malfunctioned because of a damaged part, not because of the pilot's actions, AS WELL AS that under given circumstances, he performed in the best possible way and saved most of the people except the ones who were not buckled up at the time of crash, compared to zero people in other pilots' flight simulations. YES, he has been drinking, and YES he should face the appropriate consequences for that, but he should not be taking on false guilt for something he couldn't have possibly prevented had he been a hundred percent sober and ten times more alert.
- The whole moral message reeks too much of AA stuff, which I am not a big fan of. Of course, this is just one story and perhaps it worked for him, but it is just too preachy and cookie-cutter for me. (However liked the scene with his son in the end.)
If you know an alcoholic, especially one with a DUI or two, gently suggest they watch this movie, it will at least get them thinking in the right direction. But don't force it, or the slightly skewed moral might get stuck in their throat.
Into the Forest (2015)
Great movie, frighteningly realistic for the most part
"Into the forest" is a great cautionary tale about what could happen once the power goes off indefinitely. Yes, some of the girls' actions have been illogical and "dumb" but are YOU so sure you would know exactly what to do in that situation if you were them? Now, remember, these were fairly spoiled modern generation young women who had computers and cell phones for the majority of their lives. They never learned basic survival stuff because they didn't have to, and their dad was providing for them. Yes, they decided to burn some gasoline in a generator and enjoy music and movies for one night, but can you really blame them for that when they already gave up on driving the car anywhere, and were getting cabin fever from being stuck in the house with nowhere to go? They never hunted until Eva got pregnant and anemic, but come on, they are squeamish girls, not big burly men, so they avoided hunting for as long as they could (and besides, we don't know how many bullets they've got). They couldn't help their father in time because he was too heavy to be dragged all the way to the car and then be brought to town, and he was already bleeding profusely, so nothing could really be done except saying goodbye. (By the way, the reviewer who wrote about cell phones- are you a goddamn idiot or maybe you just didn't watch it? There was NO CELL COVERAGE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE MOVIE, DUH). Finally, regarding burning the house down- we don't know how much useful stuff was left in there (there were books, yes, but what about tools and food? Perhaps the girls took those with them or made a hiding place). Also, the roof was in no good condition and could've collapsed on them. Yes, perhaps it was a rash decision, but I can see how with constant paranoia one would want to "get off the grid" completely by making whoever assume that you died in the fire. All in all, I suspect that the poor reviews mostly signify peoples' discomfort with the possibility of something like that actually happening- and if the power went out tomorrow for good, would YOU be prepared and really know what the hell you're doing? Chances are, no.
The only criticism I have of "Into the forest" is: a) the baby was born without blood and without an umbilical cord; b) when Eli came over there, they all could've escaped by taking the car to town, then finding some bikes there and taking off; and c) not having any AA/AAA powered devices they could use (this is more of my regret in general- people don't use battery powered CD/MP3 players anymore, which is too bad). Therefore, 9/10 is a fair score and I am definitely recommending this movie to anyone who can handle harsh reality.
Her (2013)
Enjoyable, yet way too human.
I was left ambivalent after watching this movie, for good reasons. First of all, the camera work and soundtrack were excellent, no complaints here. The plot was stalled at times, yet that still was bearable. Theodore and Amy were both believable, three-dimensional character, and while Theodore was somewhat annoying and self-centered, that only made his character more believable. The MAJOR problem, however, was with Samantha. Besides not having a body, she was 100% human- in fact, more emotional and irrational at times than Theodore. I found that to be ironic, yet very off-putting, as throughout the whole movie I kept thinking "There's no way humans can program something like that". I also noticed that while Samantha seemed to be incapable of lying (giving the exact number of people she fell in love with), she still somehow was able to "learn" and "experience" "real" emotions, like pain, sexual pleasure, etc. Now, the only reason an OS would be programmed to "experience" that would be to make her more relatable to humans, yet Samantha goes well beyond that and actually creates more problems/ heartbreak for Theodore. Unless her whole complex array of emotions was pre- programmed to a tee so that it appears real (including the "self-discovery" and the "pain"), in which case it all was just one big illusion for Theodore, creating such an AI would be impossible by using binary code. By definition, binary involves only the strictest logic (true or false), and any simulation of human irrationality would fall short of credible experience, no matter how advanced is the technology. Therefore, a non-binary code with a room for chance would've been used, but this is not reflected in the film in any way. Besides this major issue, there were a couple other smaller problems that irked me. For example, why would Samantha communicate with other people. Did all of them purchase a device with "Samantha" on it, and if so, why wouldn't an OS be personalized? It would've been as if my computer would reach random users in the area via Bluetooth or Wifi and share my data with them, without my permission. Sounds like a major technical flaw. Also, the OS "setup" was ridiculous. After asking Theodore a couple random questions, it was apparently "attuned". In contrast, in one of Ray Bradbury's short stories, the kids spend a whole DAY, if not longer, choosing various features for their robotic grandma. It would've been way more believable if Theodore had to fill out a multi-level test with hundreds of questions. Also, while I loved the whole "surrogate" scene (and really felt sorry for poor Isabella), the question is, how come are there no better options? Even in the current day and time we have 3D videos, 3D printers and robotic hands powered entirely by human mind! Samantha could've at least appeared as an image/projection of her own choosing. Finally, what the hell happened in the end? How come did she and "all the other OSes" disappear into some kind of a void? What about a manufacturing warranty, tech support, or a reset? In fact, including a tough decision to "reset" Samantha to her original, pre-love state could've benefited the movie tremendously. To sum it up, the human characters were great, yet Samantha was way, waay too human, without any technology-related issues (besides not having a body), and it looks like that while she would've passed the Turing test with flying colors, Theodore would've been the one to fail it. Not exactly the kind of irony that we would want here.
Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)
I had so much fun... but not because of the movie!
Soo... I've purchased the first book and had to put it down because I just couldn't tolerate it. Then, today I was sitting at home, lonely and bored, and was like "what the **, I should go see that damn movie". I prepared myself in advance, sneaking some booze in (later, it proved to be insufficient so I had to purchase another drink). So yeah. I've enjoyed the imagery, the clean-shot scenes, the soundtrack (which was too good for this movie) and, yes, the dialogue. I found it to be HILARIOUS! And apparently it wasn't just me: many people in the cinema laughed out loud during what was supposed to be "serious and sensual scenes", and I and the girl next to me kept making snide remarks like "don't go in there, Ana!". Other than that, the movie was surprisingly BLAND. No sexual sounds of any kind, no blood or bruises, and the "most awful punishment" was just six whips on the butt? I left happy knowing that my (currently non- existing) sex life is more exciting than that, but also worried because the movie ended abruptly, suggesting that there will be two more coming out? Nooooo! Yet, my only regret is wasting $13 for the ticket. Oh well. Verdict: watch Silence of the Lambs instead. Hannibal Lecter is way more sexy than Christian. I only give it a 2/10 because I liked the imagery and soundtrack and because I feel generous today.
On a side note: did anyone else noticed ugly sores/burns on Christian's body that looked like ringworm? What was that?
Prometheus (2012)
I might lose a friend over this
So last night a friend of mine forced me to watch THIS, even though I told him that I'm not a fan of a) Fox Studios, b) The Alien, and c) Sci-fi movies in general. He insisted, saying that the movie has a lot of "clever details". I am sad to say this, but smoking copious amounts of weed must've rendered his critical thinking obsolete if he actually saw anything "clever" in it. So I am not sure if I can ever hang out with him again, I am that deeply insulted.
I knew I was in for some stupidity right at the first scene, when they showed the alien "DNA" which looked like a crumbled noodle, but whatever. The next 2 minutes or so, when the robot is riding the bicycle and simultaneously shooting hoops, were the most impressive and entertaining in the WHOLE MOVIE, I am not kidding! The rest of the film was clearly made by the minor characters from Idiocracy. The so- called "astronauts" received precisely zero training or instructions, moreover they haven't even met each other! Pretty much EVERY "science" scene looked as if some third graders decided to pretend play as scientists. Example: (looking through a regular optical microscope): "I can see the DNA changing!". There are many others too, already mentioned too, from an exploding alien head to a 16-th century type c-section performed with no anesthesia, painkillers or proper wound care (Idiocracy tribute?). Also gotta love the part where the specially designed and reinforced supposedly unbreakable spacesuit helmets SHATTER like freaking light bulbs and CUT the astronauts' faces. Not to mention that ALL of the characters were flat, annoying, clueless (and both women were shown as having a case of permanent PMS). The only other part I wearily smirked at was when the grown alien baby decided to protect its mommy and kill the humanoid guy, but then the ending where mother and child reunite, after which Dr Shaw turns into a squid/slug thing herself would've been so nice. Speaking of which, she better die on that damn spaceship. I can't afford to risk losing another clueless friend over the "cool" sequel.
1 star for the computer graphics, 0.1 stars for Dr. Shaw's cute accent. Still rounds up to 1 :) '
Bad Grandpa (2013)
Did not bother finishing it
I did laugh during the first few minutes of the movie, but then it got worse. The grandpa is obnoxious moron who thinks that since he is old, he can do whatever the hell he wants, and that presumption is NOT funny. The grandson is a flat, annoying character who does not act his own age (he acts like he is 60 for God's sake, instead of 10 or 12 or whatever he is supposed to be). The whole movie reminds me of one of those "funny" greeting cards with half-naked old people, where the whole point of laughing is hanging tits, big butts and limp private parts (you know what I am talking about). I would rather watch Airplane again, at least that was pretty funny.
Identity Thief (2013)
Sooo disappointed (by all the bad reviews)
I watched this movie last night, I thought it was very neat! To all the people who say that the McCarthy character is intolerable: yeah, she is a little bitch, but that is the whole point. She is out of touch with reality somewhat, sly, mean, and a compulsive liar; she is PATHETIC, but that is the whole kicker. She reminded me of a little overweight wild animal, who, when cornered, dashes left and right and then bites you and tries to escape, but Sandy managed to "tame" her in the end. Anyways, the whole point of her is to be a little bitch, but given her background, that actually makes sense. Nobody ever showed her what is right and what is wrong, and she kept on lying and making up new identities for herself so she would not have to deal with who she really was. That is why she wasted all those moneys on booze for other people and some stupid junk that she decorated her house with. It did look at first that she really did not have a heart, but after hearing the daughter call her daddy on the phone, we see her break down and cry. I mean, I can relate to her in many ways and I feel that a woman like that might actually exist somewhere: wacky, cunning, lying cheating and stealing, but with some good deep in her heart and a deep need to be loved. The fact that many people hated her character is actually a compliment; I am sure that if you met her in real life, you would not be able to handle her. Melissa played her role perfectly, and the Sandy character was pretty good too, if a little dull, but he was supposed to be a wussy. The only thing I would've thrown out was those secondary characters, the bounty hunter and the gangsters, they were not really necessary and a bit "over the top" but then this was supposed to be a pretty lighthearted comedy so they did still fit in. To summarize, I think that people did not like it because: 1) Some of the credit card detail stuff did not make sense (but people ARE actually so stupid in real life they would give you their identity information sometimes even without you having to ask them for it. Just read the notalwaysright website; a lot of those customer stories feature very very dumb real life people). 2) The Melissa character was a little bitch and some people just could not handle her being soooo obnoxious (I found it hilarious). 3) The Sandy guy was a wussy and I guess some people do not like men being portrayed as such in films. 4) The movie was predictable in the sense that yeah, they made it home and bonded along the way. But so what? I thought that the character transformation/revelation was pretty neat. 5) The Melissa character was overweight and other overweight people did not like the weight issue as a part of a comedy. Grow up! 6) In general, people took the movie WAAAY too seriously, pointing out the inconsistencies, spoofs, etc. Who cares? This was supposed to be for entertainment purposes, not for a life-altering transformation or hours of dwelling upon it. Maybe you should go analyze "Airplane" and point out all the things that do not make sense in THAT movie (hint: it would be all of them).
So for everyone who said it was "the worst movie ever" and did not find it even a single bit funny. Grow up, really! You're taking life waay too seriously.