libraryguru Reviews

Extraction II (2023)

Cutscene

[7/10 · 24 June 2023]

First off, I rated the movie a 7. Because even though it is not a great cinematic achievement, It gives you just what you are looking for, action and mindless entertainment.

But I did notice something interesting. And I wonder if it was done on purpose.

Early on, right after the prison break, there is a chase scene. It occurred to me that the radio traffic, and main character dialog made me feel like I was watching a video game cutscene. It was like "Call of Duty: The Extraction."

Tell me I'm not the only one.

Other than that, like I said, it was entertaining. I'm sure Chris Hemsworth was cute enough to satisfy the women folk. The supporting cast was good.

The plot wasn't exactly original.

They definitely spent every penny of their special effects budget. Some might say there was too much action and not enough story. But who am I to judge?

The Northman (2022)

Sloppy

[6/10 · 9 June 2022]

I really was looking forrward to seeing this but I just don't think this was very well written. A lot of the story was contrived.

This was supposed to be an epic tale of revenge. A boy growing up with the single thought of avenging the wrong done to his family. Yet when we see the boy grown he seems to have totally forgotten his quest until he learns that the villian is now living in Iceland. Then it is like "Oh yeah I wanted to kill that guy." There was one surprise twist that most people will see coming from miles away.

I also think the story would have better if they hadn't made the mysticism look real.

All in all, the waste of a good cast.

The 2nd (2020)

Meh It is what it is

[5/10 · 2 December 2020]

I was hoping for more from Ryan. If you just want to waste some time with mindless action this is ok. If you want something original, go elsewhere. The acting was average, the plot was often silly. And the writers obviously didn't bother doing even minimal research into actual Secret Service and Supreme Court procedures.

Hard Kill (2020)

Couldn't even finish it

[1/10 · 4 September 2020]

I like Bruce Willis. He's a very good actor, and does action well. I tried watching this movie and all I can think is either he lost a bet or he owes the IRS a lot of money and was desperate for a payday. For Bruce's sake I hung in there for about thirty minutes. But I just couldn't take it anymore. The plot made no sense. The writing was amateurish. And all the other actors seemed like they were hired from a local drama school and were being paid in sandwiches. The last time I saw a film this embarrassing for a star it was a drunken David Hasselhoff eating a cheese burger off a bathroom floor. And what kind of name is "The Pardoner" for a villain?

The VelociPastor (2018)

Simply Brilliant

[10/10 · 27 April 2020]

This is the best movie I have seen today. Look at the description, "At first horrified by this new power, a hooker convinces him to use it to fight crime. And ninjas. " That says it all. Brilliant special effects right from the headless mannequins to the rubber dinosaur. And intriguing plot lines like Chinese Ninjas, a Karate expert hooker / law-med student, and come to Jesus cocaine. Then there is the heart warming dialog, "Your parents died Dave, that's what parents do." :'( Until you see this movie your life is incomplete.

Deception (2018)

unoriginal

[3/10 · 12 March 2018]

I liked this show better when it was called "The Mentalist."

Police Story: Lockdown (2013)

Not a Typical Jackie and I Liked It

[7/10 · 19 April 2014]

The reviews I have seen that rate this really low mostly have the same complaints. "Not enough action," Not enough humor." Personally I liked the fact that Jackie is going in a different direction. He is admitting that he's getting older. Instead of pretending he can still kick ass like when he was 30 ( *cough* Stallone, Schwarzenegger *cough* ) he is following more in the steps of Clint Eastwood.

In a way he reminded me of Robin Williams. When Robin gives up his clown persona and makes a movie like One Hour Photo, he shows he can really act. Well Jackie is moving away from his Kung Fu Clown persona and relying more on his acting. And he's showing that he has the chops.

I originally rated this movie higher, because I was unfairly judging it as a Jackie Chan movie.But I changed my score to a seven because I think that is a more objective rating. The movie does have some problems with the script, directing and editing. But it is by no means horrible. Perhaps some of the problems could have been fixed with a bigger budget. But then again, Hollywood size budgets are certainly no guarantee of quality either.

In short. If you do not require constant impractical martial arts action, or silly slapstick, then you will enjoy this for what it is. An action-drama, with enough action to satisfy your blood lust, but also an attempt at telling an interesting story.

Legend of the Red Reaper (2013)

It is just Bad

[2/10 · 14 April 2014]

This movie is so bad you cannot even enjoy it for its badness. It is obviously a vanity project for the lead actor/director/writer Tara Cardinal. Unfortunately, Ms Cardinal is not very good at any of her jobs in this. Her acting, and the rest of the cast, was stiff and uninspired. The directing was amateurish. And the story was unoriginal.

The only positive thing I can say is, I admire Ms Cardinal for having a dream and pursuing it. Unfortunately this was a dream not worth sharing.

Mostly I found the movie distracting. I kept being distracted by the acting, which as I already stated was bad. Then there's the fight scenes, which looked like they were from a high school drama club production. The fights moved so slowly at points they looked like someone filmed the choreography rehearsal. And then there was the oddest distraction of all. The characters' names, Ganesh, Adonis, Freya? How did she think using names from a mishmash of mythologies would help the plot line?

Ah, this movie is just a mess. I've actually been known to enjoy bad movies. Some of them can have a certain charm to them. But this movie has no redeemable qualities.

As I watched Red Reaper I kept having one thought. How did Tara Cardinal ever get funding for this?

Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977)

Horrible Remake of A Classic

[2/10 · 12 April 2011]

First, let me say I have always been a Billy Jack fan. I had seen the other movies several times, but never this one until now. The story followed Mr. Smith so closely that you can't help but make comparisons throughout. Tom Laughlin was an adequate actor, he and his wife were always the best actors in any of the other movies. But he is no Jimmy Stewart. And even the addition of other skilled actors (Pat O'Brien and E.G. Marshall most notably) could not save this movie. Add some sloppy editing and this movie was at times painful to watch. If you want to enjoy this story line, get Mr Smith goes to Washington. If you want to see a good Billy Jack movie get, The Trial of Billy Jack. But stay away from this trash.