wiggityp Reviews

The Hollars (2016)

Grumble...

[5/10 · 30 December 2016]

I really wanted to like this. The acting talent is top-notch and everyone delivered. Unfortunately to me the story just seemed super cheesebally. It just seemed like every scene was simply there to elicit a very one-dimensional in-your-face sort of reaction. For example (SPOILERS!!!) when the mom successfully comes through the operation only to then die moments later out of the blue?? It felt like a totally transparent ham-handed way just to force the audience to ride an emotional roller-coaster. Wahoo! Not.

Again all the actors did a very fine job, particularly Jenkins, Martindale and Copley. Although Krasinski pretty much just continued to play a slight variation of Jim from The Office which is all I've really seen from him.

It may be a slice of life, but it felt like a didactic blunt way to present the usual life/death, love/family melodrama themes which have been done a lot more creatively in the past.

Mascots (2016)

Good Stuff

[8/10 · 18 October 2016]

I'm not sure why others who claim to be a fan of Guest's previous work didn't like this one so much.

I thought it was great and adequately satisfied my need for more Guest mockumentaries.

Don't go in expecting it to be another Guffman or Best In Show and you'll probably dig it.

The only thing I wish would have been different is if it had had Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara in it.

I wouldn't say it's the best of Guest's ouevre but if you really like his stuff I can't imagine not liking this too.

Fantastic Four (2015)

Not that Bad

[7/10 · 30 November 2015]

Def not the best MCU movie, but really none of them are gonna go down in history as major cinematic achievements. While F4 was certainly not as good as Iron Man or The Avengers it pretty much lived up to my (admittedly low) expectations.

Really the bad was mostly due to weird editing that seemed to affect the pacing unfavorably. Could have definitely been longer as well, which could've helped a lot I think.

But overall its pretty entertaining just for some popcorn fun, which really is all these movies are ever going to be.

Rabid fanboys are so lame. For real, what is the point of all the hate? Even if you did hate it, just STFU and move on to another movie to watch because no one cares about your opinions. Seriously, 4.3 is ridiculously low. I think a 6 is pretty fair.

If you're on the fence about watching, I say check it out with minimal expectations and you will probably enjoy it for the most part.

Big Game (2014)

Totally underrated

[8/10 · 28 September 2015]

I don't know what people expect reading some of the reviews/comments around here. This was obviously going to be popcorn fun and that's exactly what it was. Obviously going in we can readily assume some of the plot points pretty early on, but seriously, who cares? Who's expecting this to be realistic? They should be culled from the populace. Studpidity of that level can not stand.

There is plenty of action (although it does promise a bit more than it delivers, but what's there is pretty solid) characters which work fine for there purposes in the film. Especially, the lead Oskari was quite watchable I thought. There are some great tag-line moments usually right before Oskari does something badass.

It was a tad short, but honestly for a film like this that is fine. Length really is totally arbitrary anyway in film-making. Certainly, it seems like a totally vapid thing to complain about.

Basically the reviews I saw mostly hinged on the film's short length and it's lack of realism. Again, anyone who cares about realism in a story about a 13 yo Finnish boy saving the Samuel L. Jackson of the United States out in the wilds of Finland is a bonafide MORON. Just enjoy this entertaining film and turn your (seemingly) useless brains off.

Aloha (I) (2015)

Weird

[5/10 · 23 August 2015]

Very strange movie.

Production values were definitely high but they just never reached a coherent whole. Dialogue was often immature feeling (lot's of talk about "mana" and mumbo-jumbo'y identity crises) and seemingly incoherent with what came before and after. Plenty of acting chops on display but not much direction for them to work with.

The editing seemed very off tonally somehow as well. The whole thing just didn't seem to flow well. Sometimes seeming like a heavy drama, sometimes a quirky rom-com and sometimes something else entirely.

Also character development was quite hit or miss. Due, again, not as much to the acting but to weird production/direction choices. Such as bizarre music selections which almost never seemed to fit the tone of the scene it was accompanying.

Overall the movie had nice heart, but it seemed like the heart of a lovable but stupid dog who can't help but smile endearingly whilst micturating on the carpet.

It's too bad. I think everyone wanted this to be good and it seemed like it would at least be predictably watchable but really ended up being anything but.

Family Tree (2013)

Great Show!

[9/10 · 7 August 2015]

Just finished watching this on Amazon and thought it was great! Very funny dry humor and exceedingly watchable acting from loads of familiar faces from the Christopher Guest pool of talent. In particular ventriloquist/actor Nina Conti is impressively hilarious.

The show has a nice quietude to it which is akin to the vibe in other Guest productions but also never loses it's comedic steam. It's got a lot of mockumentary style cringe-humor through word-play, cross-cultural fire and general quirkiness. And there is even a fairly compelling romance which takes a back seat to the main character's genealogical quest but is still a warm element of the show.

Here's hoping that HBO gets off their fat arses and makes Season 2!