Boaz777 Reviews

Reboot (2022)

Well, I like the cast, but...

[6/10 · 23 September 2022]

The writing quickly becomes formulaic. After watching the first three episodes, I already know where these stock characters are headed, because it's the same way they've been going since the invention of television itself.

The characters of the older writers are funnier than the young ones, but the show spends all this time saying that the young writers know better. So far, they don't.

I like most of the cast, but the ones playing the "actors" are horny or stupid, and it feels like nothing's progressed beyond "Three's Company" The writing sets up a joke that you know how it's going to end, because we've seen it all before. Several times. For years. Decades.

They're trying to be edgy and current, but they aren't.

The Matt LeBlanc show "Episodes" is much fresher than this.

Instead of being called "Reboot" they should rename this show "Rehash"

Star Trek: The Next Generation: When the Bough Breaks (1988) Season 1, Episode 16

Oh Oh

[4/10 · 31 December 2021]

The Aldean leader said that they took these seven children because they were "special". Apparently, even though the Aldean people are dying off and can no longer reproduce, they only want to be replaced with White people.

The whole 'replace the population' idea with these kids would take a very long time. Wesley is 15 years old, and the other children are quite a bit younger. Why would the Aldean's want to wait so long before the next generation could be born? (Add to this the behind-the-scenes creepiness of one of the younger boys and one of the younger girls are Wil Wheaton's siblings in real life.)

For the plan to truly work, the Aldean's should have been trying to recruit young adults instead of children.

Yellowstone: Under a Blanket of Red (2021) Season 4, Episode 5

Things are beginning to boil

[8/10 · 29 November 2021]

There are three memorable bits of dialogue here about the western mindset. One is by Thomas Rainwater, talking about Tait. The other two are by John Dutton to the leader of the protest.

There may not be a lot of action, but that just means that things are cooking under the surface. I'm sure they will be boiling over soon.

Hawkeye: Never Meet Your Heroes (2021) Season 1, Episode 1

Disappointing and slow

[5/10 · 25 November 2021]

So far, Renner is the best part of this. Everything else is muddling. Slow pacing (for the first two episodes). The fight scenes are poorly shot (from above, or through a windshield covered with flakes of snow).

There seems to be too much filler, like they're trying to pad the story out to eight episodes, when it could be told better in six.

I'll stick with it, if only for the Renner. I just hope it gets a lot better.

No Time to Die (2021)

I had hoped it would be better

[7/10 · 8 November 2021]

Just so you know where I'm coming from, I've seen all of the Bond films and enjoyed all of the Bond films and all of the Bond actors over the years. One more thing. I don't write many reviews. That being said:

Let me start at the very end of this movie. I mean the VERY end where the credits say "James Bond Will Return". I sat through all of the credits to see if this one thing was there. Those of you who have seen the film might say to yourselves "Then why...?" That being said:

For me, the best parts of the film were the action sequences (it is Bond after all), the beautiful scenery (and cinematography) and the beautiful Ana de Armas' portrayal of "Paloma". If she weren't already a CIA agent, (and if she was British) she would make a great double-O agent in a stand alone film or series. She had sex appeal, humor and she kicked A$$!

And now the downside (for me). I was excited to hear that Rami Malek was going to be the villain. Unfortunately, his character is just not that interesting. I'm not blaming the actor because of my second biggest problem with this film (other than the "Then why...?")

That second biggest problem is: This is one of those "throw in everything but the kitchen sink, and then throw in the kitchen sink too" films!

The non-Craig films were self contained, with very little crossover as possible (M, Q, Moneypenny, sometimes Felix). The Craig films have been more interconnected, and that's fine except at the ending of the series, when you feel that you have to wrap EVERYTHING up!

Thus Malek's villain gets underdeveloped because of less screen time devoted to him. He comes off as Thanos-lite, because more screen time had to be devoted to that damn kitchen sink!

Oh and let me toss in one thing about villains in films, generally speaking. Not only does the bad guy have to be interesting, but so does the main henchman. That being said, Javier Bardem's scene chewing Silva was so awesome in Skyfall, that a better developed henchman would have been a bad choice.

Back to this film, the henchman AND the main baddie were both undeveloped, because of the aforementioned sink (which sunk character development all around).

Hopefully a side-effect of that was that Lashana Lynch's "Nomi" and Lea Seydoux's "Madeleine" were really, again, like Malek, in my humble opinion, not very interesting. Even the crossover supporting characters back at MI-6, seemed to be given very little to do, or perhaps they were but by that point who cares. The kitchen sink is too long. I mean the film is.

Since they are recasting Bond, I hope that the producers will recast these other roles as well. Not that they've been bad, but let's just make a clean sweep of it all.

I'm probably being generous with my 7 out of 10 stars, but I've always been a Bond fan, so I'll let it stand.

The Orange Man (2015)

Not Great, But Did Not Hate It

[6/10 · 11 September 2016]

Is The Orange Man a "fascinating motion picture"? Not in my opinion.

Is The Orange Man "awful"? Again, not in my opinion.

Would I give this film a 7 out of 10 comparing it to Citizen Kane? No.

Would I give this film a 7 out of 10 comparing it to Halloween? No.

I'm giving it this score in relation to other very low budget slasher type films. I guess they had a budget of $20,000.

Parts of The Orange Man are pretty good, in fact. The best part, for me, is the interaction of the main character and his three friends. They are not teenagers, which in itself is refreshing, however, they often act as if they were teenagers, which is kind of funny. Some of the other cast members do a good job and I thought that the camera work was good, especially when compared to other films like this.

I think that the other two reviews are either too generous or too condemning. Overall, I'd have to say that I liked it.

Field Freak (2016)

It's a parody, folks! ***Spoilers***

[7/10 · 19 March 2016]

I thought that this was a good parody of all the creature/killers in the woods movies that have been made over the years. There are elements of the early work of Sam Raimi, and even The Creature From The Black Lagoon, and Cat People.

The story involves three basic stock characters: The awkward dad, the put-upon wife and the whiny young son. They move from Chicago to a place in the middle of nowhere called Beaver Pelt Falls, so the dad can write his next book.

Add to these, the crazed Ned who, as a child, was supposedly mauled by the creature called "Field Freak"; and Jerry, the just plain weird pest control guy who doesn't have a clue.

A couple of the things that bothered me were that some scenes could be a bit tighter editing-wise, and a few of the outdoor scenes are a little too washed out.

Also, while I like the poster for this movie, it's misleading and doesn't really fit the comical mood.

Granted, the "Field Freak" creature is some guy running around in bad fur and rubber costume. Some people might make a big deal about it, but, when viewed as a comedy, that just added another layer of humor to the film.

None of the actors are well known, which is great because you don't know what to expect from them.

I also thought that there were quite a few camera angles that were better than the norm of many films.

When you watch a movie like this, you have to compare it to others like it in style, scope and budget. I think that Field Freak raises the bar once you understand that it's making fun of all of those typical, low-budget horror films.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)

Everything Including The Kitchen Sink

[5/10 · 18 December 2013]

Seriously this movie could have been a lot better if they would have cut 30 to 40 minutes out of it.

The first third to half is funny, though you've already seen many of the funniest parts of it during previews and commercials.

Then Ron goes through a personal tragedy & the film just b-o-g-s d-o-w -n.

After that, there is another scene with lots of cameos, but not much humor.

I found myself smiling during parts of the movie, but I only laughed out loud three, maybe four times. Steve Carell tosses out some funny lines and gibberish though but overall the film isn't that good.

I'd love to have the soundtrack though.

Mars Attacks! (1996)

I've laughed more at funerals!

[1/10 · 20 August 2007]

I want to give this film a ZERO, but the scale don't go that low! Jack Nicholson (wasted in 2 roles), Glenn Close (part could have been played by a Happy Meal), Sarah Jessica Parker (ditz factor=12), Pierce Brosnan, Annette Benning (as an alcoholic Buddist), Michael J. Fox, Rod Stieger, Paul Winfield, Lukas Haas, Jack Black (THIN!), Martin Short, Natalie Portman (I'm sure this ain't her favorite role), Christina Applegate (In such a tiny part that there were extras that had more lines!!!!), Sylvia Sidney, Jim Brown, Pam Grier, Danny DeVito. Great cast...wasted...along with my time watching it! Tom Jones was good though! I've seen a number of sci-fi films from the '50's and they were all better than this. Give me James Arness as a giant alien carrot any day of the week over this insipid trash.